To The End of The Line
by TheSocialBookWorm
Summary: It was an accident. The portal like thing had given off a weird glow, and she hadn't ment to touch it. Now she was stranded in an unknown world without backup, and an old enemy returning. At least the scary-but-nice man she had run into was willing to help. OC. Gen
1. Prologue

AN: Hi! Wow, three years of writing but no posting, but oh well, here we go. This is a somewhat intrest check, and I'll only he posting the first couple of chapters 'cause I want to be able to do major rewrites.

Disclaimer: I don't own Captain America.

Prologue

Diligence walked into Empathy's clinic without knocking, Loyalty on her heels. Diligence glanced back at her younger sister for a minute, who gave her a small smile. Satisfied that her sister was fine despite the close call they had with the lion in Africa, she let the lilac breasted roller that her sister had picked up land on her head.

Dil let Empathy's magic roll over her as she walked inside, and enter the area between worlds that the clinic was located in. Empathy looked up from the form that she filling out and smiled at them.

"Thanks for coming so quickly. Endurance was just here and even he's not sure what it is. I was hoping that you could identify it. If not Faith has volunteered to take it apart." Empathy's smile grew slightly wry, "She has experience pulling apart unknown machines apparently."

Loyalty looked slightly startled and asked quietly, "End was here?"

Em gave her a sad look, "Here and gone again. He didn't tell me where he was going."

Ty nodded in understanding, and Dil cracked a smile when Em jumped as Ty's shirt twisted and her cobra, Cora, stuck her head out of Ty's collar. She hissed at her, _He's avoiding you for some reason. The next time I see him, he gets the teeth._

"My brother is not avoiding me," she said, but then looked between her two older sister, "He isn't, right?"

"Of course not," Em said standing up from her desk, "He's just used to spending time on his own, you know how Endurance gets, better than anyone else."

Ty's face lightened slightly at that and she gave a small nod.

The three of them headed further into the clinic heading downstairs into the basement, rather than upstairs to the house there.

"You're keeping it in storage?" Dil asked.

"I thought it would be safer than keeping it where I sleep," Empathy replied promptly.

Diligence shrugged, "I was just thinking of how I would want to know if it did anything, rather than leave it where I can't see it."

"And that is what you would do," Empathy said back, "What I did is what I would do. You can't expect everyone to act the way you do."

Dil frowned but nodded, "The other question I had was why you bothered to ask us. You'd have more chance of identifying it than we would."

"Age isn't everything," Empathy said gently, "You actually have more experience than I do since I spend all of my time in my clinic."

Dil's frown deepened, but she didn't say any more.

Empathy opened a door and waved them both inside. The machine wasn't anything Loyalty had seen before. It was shaped a lot like a door, but an unearthly power rolled off of it that reminded her of death. Power rolled off of it, and it had an unearthly blue glow to it. Despite looking like a door, there was no door knob, and it was almost pitch black.

"I don't know what it is," Loyalty said quietly from behind Diligence, "But it looks like some kind of portal."

Dil looked at it again and before shaking her head, "I don't know what it is either."

"It's no problem," Empathy reassured them, "I'll just have to contact Faith. I would recommend not touching it if you want to look closer at it, but I am heading back upstairs. Would either of you like something to eat?"

"Do you have any cream puffs?" Loyalty asked.

"Of course, I do," Empathy said with a smile at her little sister, "I'll get them ready in the kitchen alright?"

Loyalty nodded and looked back at the machine while her sister went upstairs. She shivered slightly and moved closer to Diligence. "It feels off," she whispered.

She felt more than saw Dil frown. Loyalty felt her sister's magic focus to a point that brushed against the machine. It had taken Dil years to get that focus, training at the Monastery. Her older sister shivered as she felt the same thing Loyalty had sensed.

 _It's so shiny! I want to see it up close!_ Her new bird chirped. She frowned, "No I wouldn't-"

But it hopped off of Diligence head, and flapped toward the machine. "W-wait!" Loyalty cried out and went after it.

"Ty!" Dil said and reached for her sister. She was just a second too late though, and watched in horror as she sister grabbed the bird, ran into the machine and just… vanished.

Loyalty choked as she felt a power pressing down on her as then the world dropped away from her, into spiraling colors of magic. She held tight onto her bird, feeling Cora tighten her hold around her waist. Then there was light and sound, and Loyalty collapsed in on herself.


	2. Chapter 1

AN: And now enters the actual characters enter. I first thought this would take place after tWS, and it still might, but for now it starts fairly early in the movie. The other thing that I was insure about was the Winter Solider and Loyalty's interactions, so I hope that turned out ok. Anyways onward!

Disclaimer: I don't own Captain America

Chapter 1

Sergeant James Barnes, stalked down the street, heading for his newest target. Once there might have been what was once Steve Rogers best friend, Bucky, screaming and fighting in the back of his head, but years of work by HYDRA had left what was left of Bucky in an almost catatonic state leaving only the Winter Soldier.

He turned toward the apartment that his latest target, Nicholas Fury, was seen headed into when for the first time in years something made Bucky stir.

A young girl's voice reached the Winter Soldier's ears, and Bucky was suddenly there urging them towards it.

"P-please s-si-irr," she said softly, "He-he's m-my pe-et. I ju-ust wan-nt him-m back."

Near the opening of a dark alley, he found a small girl with black hair and baggy clothes, hovering near a clean looking man, who had his fist closed around something small.

"This is a rare bird and I don't believe that you have the permit to own it do you?" the man sneered.

"But-" the girl's voice was almost a whisper, her hands wringing together in an almost unconscious manner. "Bu-ut he's mi-ine alre-eady, and I-I do have the papers. The-They're just not with me."

The man's eyebrows raised, "Perhaps if you paid me..."

Soldier blinked when a large snake raised its head out of the girl's shirt and hissed at the man. The man's eyes glinted with greed, and he leaned forward into the girl's space and both Bucky and Soldier could tell that the already nervous girl was now panicking.

"Is that an African Cobra?" he said reaching forward, "A permit is needed for one of those as well, perhaps I should hang onto it for you…"  
Soldier was surprised at the strength that Bucky surged forward in their head, and their hand was shooting out to crush the man's hand. The man and the girl jumped, the girl actually giving a small squeak as she backpedaled away from them.

Soldier reacted in surprise, automatically shoving Bucky back down. But that left him holding the man's arm with no idea why or what he was supposed to do. So Soldier went to default, glaring at him, and wondering why he didn't just kill him.

The man must have seen it on his face, because he blanched and tried to take his arm back starting to babble, "I didn't mean to, but she was just standing there like an idiot and I thought that she would be an easy mark. Look I could give you part of the cut-"  
Both Bucky and Soldier glared at him, and the man went even paler. "Fine. Fine! Take the girl and her pets. It's not like it's worth it anyways."

The man slinked off into the alleyway letting go of whatever was in his hands, leaving Soldier alone with the girl. Bucky had gone silent, and the girl was holding her hands out and cradling something in her arms.

Soldier hesitated for a moment, unsure if Bucky was going to show up again. When he didn't, Soldier turned and continued to approach the apartment that Nicholas Fury was hiding in. He had gone about a block and a half, when he sensed the girl leave the alleyway. He went another half block with the girl trailing behind him, when he gave up on the small hope that she was just heading in the same direction as him.

He made a quick turn to the right, went a block, made another quick turn to the right, and then turned left down an alley. Confident that his new tail had been lost, Soldier once again headed towards his target. He suppressed a jump when Bucky snarked in his head about how the great Winter Soldier, great assassin of the nazi's was hiding from a little girl.

Soldier didn't reply, he only shoved the american Soldier down once more. He had made it a block before he could once again sense the girl on the edge of his senses. Soldier almost raised an eyebrow, and once again turned off to shake his tail. This time he made it half a block before the girl was back.

Getting frustrated, he climbed a fire escape and began to jump across rooftops. He dropped in front of the apartment building that his target was supposed to be in, just in time to see the man walk off again, and the girl turn a corner at the edge of his peripheral vision.

Soldier ignored her and pulled his gun, aiming for his target. But Bucky was there once again, throwing his aim off, and the bullet went wide. They heard the girl squeak in their over sensitive ears, and sensed her duck back around the corner. Above them, someone started to move, and Soldier growled in frustration.

His target had run off, disappearing down the maze of alley ways. Soldier stalked after him, even though he knew that he would have to wait until more info on Nicholas Fury was found before he struck again, the man was smart enough to go underground now that he knew he was being targeted.

And still at the edge of his senses the girl hovered.

Soldier had almost made it back to the bunker that he was using as a safe house, when the girl apparently vanished. The sudden disappearance of the until then constant presence, caused Bucky to fight for control once more, and they whirled around startling several birds near them, and stalked towards the direction they had last sensed her.

Soldier argued with Bucky the whole way, that the girl had ruined their mission. Their body changed directions heading back for the safe house. Bucky replied that it was a stupid mission anyways. Their body turned around again. Frustratingly, they walked in circles for a couple of minutes before Bucky won out, and they were headed towards the girl.

They felt her presence again when they turned down a street into a park and found her pressed up against the wall surrounded by teenaged boys. One of them had her snake held around the throat, letting the rest of its body hang. It was long enough that it almost touched the ground. Another one was holding a small bird roughly, and the rest of them leered at the girl.

"Pl-please," the girl said in the quiet voice that she had spoken in last time. "You're hu-urting them."

One of the boys shrugged, "They're only animals." He leaned into her space causing her to lean against the wall. "Besides they're nowhere near as interesting as you."

Soldier was tempted to ignore Bucky as he snarked that boys like them were animals. They stormed up to the group, and one of the boys looked up and made eye contact with them. The boy whimpered, dropped the bird he was holding, and ran.

The rest of the boys made noises of confusion, and went to look around. But Soldier grabbed one of them by the back of his neck and threw him backwards. He didn't turn to look where the boy landed, and grabbed the arm of the boy that was brave enough to throw a punch at him. He twisted the boy's arm and dropped it when it cracked. The boy screamed and fell to the ground cradling his arm.

The rest of the boys went running after the first one, except for the one that was closest to the girl who was attacked by both of the girl's animals. The cobra sunk its fangs into the boy's calves, while the bird pecked at the boy's eye.

"Wai-wait," the girl whispered, and her animals stopped, looking at her. Soldier and Bucky were surprised when the cobra slithered over to the girl, and slid under her shirt. Its head stuck out of the collar of her shirt, and laid its head on her shoulder.

With the girl safe, Soldier could now stalk off without Bucky getting upset at him and trying to take control. He made it a block before he could feel the girl start following him again. Soldier stopped in confusion, and Bucky laughed at him. Soldier shoved him down, feeling his temper spike. He stormed to the safe house, the girl hovering at the edge of his senses once more.


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: Ok I lied. I don't have the patience to wait to finish it before I update. Sue me. (That and my BFF TwistedFangirl, whose stories you should totally check out, wouldn't leave me alone.) This chapter is probably my least favorite out of all of the ones that I've got done. I just feel like everything done to fast, but eh, go for it. That and Natasha is hard to write. Constructive Criticism appreciated! R&R!

Disclaimer- I don't own Captain America

Chapter 2

Loyalty peered around the corner, and hid behind it again when the scary-but-nice-man glanced at her.

Why don't you just go talk to him? Tina asked.

Because she's shy, idiot, Cora hissed.

"Please be nice," Loyalty whispered.

I think you should let me eat him, Cora hissed.

Tina chirped and flew over head, Don't eat me!

Cora let out a hissing laugh, and Loyalty felt the scary-man walk down the street, and she followed after him, careful to keep a half block between them.

Soldier wasn't sure when everything changed. Bucky spoke up in their head and pointed out that they knew exactly when everything changed. It had something to do with the girl that was still following them around. Bucky said that they had to give her points for persistence. No one else they could remember would be willing to follow around HYDRA's best assassin for a week.

They had already saved her from another group of boys, and a ringmaster that tried to recruit her. Soldier and Bucky were confused on that one, because the girl had seemed closed to tears for once, and almost had a panic attack. Every time Soldier saved her from something, after constant urging and arguing with Bucky, she had started to follow him even closer. She had closed the gap between them from a block and a half to half a block.

Soldier hadn't checked in with HYDRA the entire week and he could feel the affects of their treatments wearing off, and Bucky was more prominent in their mind than ever. Bucky urged him to continue to avoid HYDRA, and Soldier was confused on why he hadn't gone back yet. Maybe it had something to do with the way that his head was finally clearing.

Once again, the girl disappeared from his senses and Bucky didn't have to urge him before Soldier turned to find out what had happened. He stalked down the street weaving through people, when he realized that the girl's presence was flickering like it was at the edge of his sense and then gone again. She was moving, and from the way that she had doggedly followed him for the past week, it probably wasn't by choice.

He picked up his speed gradually, so that soon he was running through the crowd, weaving through the people brushing past them like a breeze that they barely noticed him passing. He could feel himself gaining as the girl got closer and closer in his senses.

He watched her turn down an empty side street flanked by two females in black suits. Soldier noted that they had badges for some agency in their pockets. He wondered why they would be interested in a small quiet girl that followed him around. Bucky pointed out that they shouldn't even know that she was following him, because they hadn't reported in for a week, and no one outside of HYDRA or the Red Room would recognize them was the Winter Soldier.

He turned the corner and was met with a gun to the face. He stopped, and the agent spoke in a quiet confident tone, "The Winter Soldier is to come with us. Quietly."

Soldier flicked his eyes over to the girl who stood next to the other agent, watching quietly with waves of fear rolling off of her. He looked back at the agent pointing a gun at him, and she said, "The girl is of interest to HYDRA for classified reasons. It does not pertain to your mission. You are to kill Nicholas Fury, and that is all that should matter to you."

Bucky was silent in his head for once, but his presence sat heavily in Soldier's mind. His first instinct was to go with the agents and back to HYDRA, but his eyes flickered to the girl, and the bright bird sitting on her head. He mentally groaned and Bucky cheered.

Now we're talking, Bucky said. And they both paused in surprise as they realized that Bucky had said a conscious thought instead of the subconscious impressions Soldier had been getting.

Well, Bucky thought, That's new.

Soldier's hand snapped up, twisting the gun away from his face, and the agent's eyes widened in surprise. She ducked under his first strike, and backed away quickly.

"Retreat," she said tightly to her partner, "Take the girl and go. We can retrieve the Winter Soldier at a later time."

We can't let them take her, Bucky thought, and Soldier mentally rolled his eyes at his other self's protectiveness.

I can hear you too, you know, Bucky mentally snapped.

The snake hissed and placed its head on the girl's bare skin. The girl, previously hunched over in terror, straightened no longer looking like she was twelve and looked closer to fifteen, and a smirk that made Soldier pause worked its way onto her face.

Her foot snaked out in a smooth movement and knocked the feet out from under the agent standing next to her. She stomped on the agents throat, crushing her windpipe.

That, Bucky hesitated, was surprising.

Soldier thought that, that was a nice way of putting it.

The other agent turned her gun on the girl, and Soldier struck. His hand drew his own gun and had it aimed and fired before the agent could finish aiming her own.

"Wow," the girl said, turning her eyes into him. Soldier blinked in confusion, and Bucky swore. The girl's pupils were slit like a snake's. "So you can be useful for more that scaring civilians off."

That's not the same girl, Bucky thought at him.

What do you think I am? An idiot? Soldier thought back at him.

Well, you did keep going back to HYDRA even when brainwashed you, Bucky replied.

That was because they BRAINWASHED me! Soldier shouted back.

"Who are you?" he asked, short and sharp

The girl cocked her head to the side, "I guess you want Loyalty back."

They blinked, and watched at the girl closed her eyes, and when she opened then again, the pupils were back to normal. The girl immediately hunched in on herself, and looked down at the ground. She mumbled something that they only heard because of the serum.

"Thank you."

Soldier nodded and turned to walk away once again.

Look at you, Bucky snarked, ever the gentleman. Not even going to ask what happened or why they were after her?

Do you think we have any room to talk? Soldier thought back acidly.

Bucky fell silent. But a second later, Soldier wished he hadn't because the girl fell in step behind him. Her steps were hesitant, unsure of their welcome, and Soldier mentally sighed. Bucky would throw a fit if he left her here alone. He stepped slightly to the side, and the girl fell in step next to him, small and timid, but not unsure.


	4. Chapter 3

A/N- Aaaaaauuuggghhhh! Why is Natasha so hard to write? T.T That and keeps messing with my formatting. Anyways, here have another chapter.

Disclaimer- I don't own Captain America

Chapter 3

 _He doesn't seem so bad,_ Tina chirped. Scary-man glanced at the bird before looking away again. Loyalty gave Tina a small smile, and scanned the street nervously. People were finally leaving her alone now that she was walking with the scary-man.

Though sometimes there were times when scary-man became less scary, but she couldn't sense any use of magic. So Loyalty assumed that he just had problems sorting out his feelings and emotions.

 _The three people behind us have been there for the last three turns_ , Cora hissed in warning.

Loyalty fought the urge to glance over her shoulder, "Um, Mr.-, Um, Scary-man?"

Scary-man glanced at her.

"There ar-are people foll-llowing us," she whispered. He nodded and took a sudden right turn. She stumbled and struggled to keep up with his lengthening stride. He turned into a mall, and entered the crowd. Loyalty hesitated, not wanting to enter the heavily crowded area, but jumped and hurried after him when Cora hissed urgently in her ear.

She squeaked in surprise when a tall blonde man ran into her. He grabbed her arm when she almost fell.

"I'm so sorry," he said, straightening her. She blushed and ducked underneath her bangs.

"I-i-it's no-not a pr-prob-blem," she whispered, refusing to meet his eyes. She could feel the scary-man get farther away, but he paused when he realized that she wasn't following him.

The blonde man studied her face, "Is something wrong? You seem nervous."

Loyalty squeaked, and looked towards the direction the scary-man was. The blonde man looked in the same direction, but looked away when someone called out.

"Captain!" the voice called.

 _That's one of the people following us,_ Cora hissed from under her shirt. Loylty squeaked again, stumbling away from the blonde man. The man looked at her in confusion, and she turned and ran towards where she could feel the scary-man. He was almost to where they were.

"Stop that girl Captain!" a different voice yelled. The blonde man went to grab her, but the scary-man showed up and glared at him. Loyalty ducked behind the scary-man, and watched in confusion as the blond man's face paled dramatically.

"Bucky?" the man whispered. Scary-man flinched slightly, and then turned back into the crowd. Loyalty followed closely this time, staying right on his heels.

"Bucky!" the blonde man called out, "Wait, Bucky!"

Soldier and Bucky flinched as Bucky's name was said.

 _Steve_ , Bucky whispered. The agents were coming up behind Steve though, so Soldier turned back into the crowd, the girl on his heels.

 _What are you doing?_ Bucky asked, _That was Steve!_

 _He was with the agents_ , Soldier argued, _We don't know what he's doing or even if he is actually Steve._

 _It was him!_ Bucky yelled.

 _And how much of him do we actually remember other than the fact that he was your best friend? Not to mention the fact that it's been almost seventy years, even with the serum he should be dead by now,_ Soldier said coldly.

Bucky didn't reply.

Soldier led the girl to a side exit, and then began to climb a fire escape. There were cries of surprise from a group of teenagers that were hanging out on top of the roof. Soldier turned to the girl, who was red in the face and panting.

"Wh-wha-at are we-we go-going to d-do now?" she asked looking around the rooftop.

"Who are you?" one of the teenagers demanded.

Soldier ignored the teenager, and grabbed the girl into a bridal-carry. She squeaked, and her cobra hissed at him. Soldier braced himself and jumped right as the maybe-Steve came running in from a set of stairs the agents close behind him.

"Bucky!" he yelled again, but Soldier was already in the air. He fought another flinch at the name and landed heavily on the next roof. He jumped again and landed on the empty street below.

"Wh-why is i-it em-empt-ty?" the girl whispered her eyes blinking in confusion. She began to hyperventilate, "Y-you don't thin-ink it's a trap?"

"Not exactly," a female voice said from behind them. Soldier whirled, the girl instinctively burying her face in his chest. Soldier blanched and let her stand on her own two feet. She ducked her head and hid behind his larger body.

"The Winter Soldier," the woman said, stepping out of the shadows, her red hair catching the fading light of the sun.

"Black Widow," he said in a deep rumble, dropping into a ready stance in front of the girl.

Black Widow clucked her tongue, "Even if I was after the girl, I wouldn't have done it so obviously."

Soldier just glared at her, not adjusting his stance. The woman shook her head, "Steve doesn't know what's going on. And Fury only has a small idea, we need more information. Information you, and possibly the girl, have."

 _HYDRA_ , Bucky said when he felt Soldier's confusion, _They don't know that SHIELD and HYDRA are the same organization._

 _But the girl,_ Soldier thought back, _why do they want with the girl?_

 _I don't know_ , Bucky said.

Voices came from above them, and Widow stepped away from the exit. "Go," she said with a nudge of her head.

Soldier hesitated in confusion, and Widow rolled her eyes, "I'm not with them. Go!"

Soldier grabbed the girl's arm and they ran, ducking into the bustling square and disappearing into the crowd.

Natasha watched with a critical eye as her targets disappeared into the crowd. Fury had told her to stop anyone from catching the Winter Soldier and his new tag-a-long.

Steve dropped down next to her and looked around, "Did he come through here?"

Natasha glanced around for the agents that had been with them. She didn't see them and gestured in the direction she had come from, away from the way that the two runaways had gone.

"Fury has a new mission for the two of us," she said, and then cocked her head to the side, "He said that you might want to bring your new friend."

Steve's brow furrowed in confusion, "What does he want with Sam?"

Natasha shrugged, even though she had a good idea of why, and led Steve towards where Fury had gone underground.


	5. Chapter 4

A/N: What is even the point of these? I feel weird if there isn't one at the beginning of a chapter but I doubt anyone reads them? *Shrugs and decides to go with my weird urges* Sometimes I wonder at my creative process and how it decides to split and format things... Look guys! It's more canon characters! Constructive Criticism appreciated. Review? Pretty please?

Diclaimer- I don't own Captain America.

Chapter 4

Loyalty sat next to the scary-man as they drove past a sign that read, _Welcome to Rhodes Island!_

Cora curled up in her lap asleep, and Tina sat on her shoulder. She glanced at the scary-man, who stared at the road with frightening intensity. He hadn't said anything to her, even as he stole the car that they were driving in and gestured for her to get in. Though she wasn't sure if it was because he didn't talk or if it was because she didn't talk.

But something had been gnawing at her mind since they had ran into the blonde man and the red haired lady.

"Um," she whispered, and felt her mouth slam shut as he glanced at her. She looked at Tina briefly who chirped encouragement at her. She took a deep breath and said in a small voice, "Y-you're na-name is-s Bu-bucky?"

His foot slammed on the brake, "I'm not Bucky."

Something ran through his eyes and Loyalty wondered what was going through it.

"Bu-but," she cringed when he glared at her, "You-you are some-sometimes?"

"No," he said shortly, and started to drive once more. Loyalty sunk down in her seat, and kept her mouth glued shut.

 _But we are Bucky_ , Bucky thought at Soldier, after they had pulled over at a motel and gotten out of the car.

 _I'm not you_ , he thought back as he walked into the motel. _I was created by you and HYDRA, as an assassin and a coping mechanism._

He felt Bucky roll his eyes at him. _One day_ , Bucky thought with an intensity that frightened him, _Something will happen and you will see just how alike we are. You won't even hesitate, mark my words._

Soldier handed the girl a key to the room that he had paid for with cash from a wallet he had found in the car. She glanced down at it in surprise, and hesitantly curled her fingers around it. She stared at him with large eyes, and her cobra hissed. Satisfied that the girl knew where they were staying, he turned and stalked away. The girl didn't move as she watched him go, hands still curled around the key.

He walked until he left the busy streets, entered a park. Civilians walked a wide berth around him, giving him wary glances. He stiffened and instinctively dove to the left as a gunshot rang out. He rolled and ducked behind a tree pulling out his own gun. People screamed and ran for the exit, gathering their kids and pets in their arms.

Bucky glanced around the tree and saw a group of SHEILD agents walking into the park, guns drawn. He ducked behind the tree again to avoid another gunshot, and then leaned over and took two clear shots, ducking back behind the tree, as he heard the bodies fall.

"Come with us quietly," the man in front called out. Soldier noted that they had the black gun proof vests that marked them as strike team members. He grit his teeth, and shot another agent.

"You can't avoid HYDRA forever, Barnes," the man yelled again as bullets tore into the tree that Soldier was behind. He flinched at the name that he was certain wasn't his own. Soldier rolled to another tree, and Bucky snarked that that they could certainly try, and that HYDRA hadn't caught them yet.

 _It's a good thing the girl is still at the motel_ , Bucky thought.

Soldier disagreed thinking back to the night that the girl had looked at them with a smug smirk, and slit pupils.

 _It hasn't happened ever since then, so how could we be sure that it would happen now?_ Bucky asked.

 _She was in real danger that time_ , Soldier reasoned, _not just afraid like everything before it and everything after. So whatever happened was a last resort defense mechanism_.

The next gunshot sent bark spinning near their ear. Soldier planted his feet and pivoted, taking out all but the leader of the strike team, who looked around at the bodies of his team and leveled his gun at him.

"Rumlow!" a familiar voice shouted. Both of their heads whipped towards the source, and Soldier winced when he saw Steve.

 _Black Widow confirmed it's him,_ Bucky said softly.

 _But are we ready to see him yet?_ Soldier thought grimly back, _You aren't the Bucky Barnes he knew._

 _We_ , Bucky insisted, _We aren't the Bucky he knew. But we aren't that different from the one that he did know._

Soldier scoffed, and turned his focus back to Rumlow. Rumlow glared at him, but then smirked.

"Where's that new pet of yours?" he taunted, "Wandered off somewhere without you?"

Soldier and Bucky glared at him, ignoring the feeling of Steve's confusion.

"You'd better be careful or you'll lose her to someone else," Rumlow said quietly. Bucky curse the man, and Soldier's hand dropped slightly in surprise. His finger twitched, pulling the trigger, and shooting Rumlow in the thigh.

Bucky flinched at the surprised and pained sound that Steve made, but Soldier was already moving. They were needed at the motel five minutes ago. He made it a couple of steps before a hand landed on his shoulder and yanking him back. He turned and for the first time met Steve's eyes.

Soldier winced at the painful mix of hope, confusion, and pain in them.

"What's going on Bucky?" Steve asked quietly, "Don't you-" he swallowed, "Don't you recognize me?"

"Steve," Bucky said quietly. Then Soldier was in control once more as they both reacted in surprise, and he wrenched his shoulder from Steve's grasp. Steve gave him a hurt look, and Soldier expected Bucky to get mad at him again, but Bucky was still reeling.

"Bucky?" Steve asked taking a step closer every time Soldier took a step back. "I don't understand. What's going on?"

Soldier shook his head, and then looked Steve in the eye, "Tell Nicholas Fury that he doesn't just have a rat. He has an infestation."

Then he turned and ran back towards the motel, with a faint hope that the girl would still be there. He jumped the fence and ignored the screams of surprise from the pedestrians.

He stopped outside of the decent motel that he had parked the car in front of, and crouched down when he noticed that the door to every room hung open. He crept forward and headed toward where he remembered their room being.

There was a shout, and he ran forward, expecting to see the girl held up against the wall at gunpoint. What he found was significantly different.

The entire room was torn apart. The small wooden table lay in splinters scattered throughout the room. The window was shattered, and Soldier noted that it was probably where the agents had entered. One of the pillows from the beds was on top of an agent's face. He was one of many scattered unconscious throughout the room.

In a corner the girl sat nursing a steaming cup, and an unassuming man stood next to her, lowering a broken taser still attached to another agent.

"James Barnes," the man greeted, "I'm Agent Coulson."

The girl looked up from her cup, her cobra on her shoulders rather than her waist, and dropped the cup in her hurry to get over to him.

"You-you ca-came back," she whispered. Then she wrapped quickly wrapped her arms around his waist and muttered into it, "I-I thou-ought you ha-had left m-me."

Soldier froze, and panicked.

 _BUCKY!_ he shouted, _What do I do?_

Bucky laughed, _Just let her hug you._


	6. Chapter 5

A/N- *Throws chapter into the void that is this site* *Loses it* *Shrugs* Twisted will find it I bet. And I figured that since it's Marvel, and a fanfiction I could work the X-men/mutants in without trouble. I haven't planned on them actually showing up, but there is a couple of references. As always constructive criticism welcome!

Disclaimer-I don't own anything Marvel...(One day I will...)

Chapter 5

Loyalty pulled away from the scary-man and blushed ducking her head.

"I-I'm sorry," she whispered. A hand landed on her shoulder and she jumped following it up to met the scary-man in the eyes. He shook his head just slight enough that she could tell that he had done it. Her face brightened, and she turned back to the agent that had helped her.

 _You should have let me fight,_ Cora hissed, _We could have dealt with them just fine on our own._

Loyalty gave her a skeptical look, and then searched for Tina in the rafters when he chirped, _I thought she wanted to lay low since we don't know why they're after us._

Loyalty fought the urge to scratch at her shoulder blades as Cora accused Tina of being the whole reason they were there.

She couldn't look Coulson in the eye as she said, "Th-thank you."

He nodded at her, his eyes softening slightly, before he turned to the scary-man.

"Sergeant Barnes," he said, "SHIELD would like your help."

Scary-man stiffened and narrowed his eyes at Coulson, who stared back unblinkingly. Loyalty looked between the two of them in slight awe as the stare down continued.

"So it is true then," Coulson said suddenly. Scary-man cocked his head in confusion, and Loyalty blinked at the sudden change of tension around the agent. She gestured at the bright colored bird, and pulled Tina close to her when he landed in her hands.

Coulson looked around the room at the unconscious agents and shook his head, "SHIELD really is made up of HYDRA agents."

Scary-man drew a gun and pointed it at Coulson, then grimaced and dropped the gun, shaking his hand out. He glared at the gun and then at the agent.

Coulson studied the scary-man and then took a step towards him. Scary-man took a step back, and Loyalty watched as they continued this until Scary-man was pressed up against the wall.

"You're fighting your programming?" Coulson asked, and Loyalty ran over when Scary-man went pale. She placed herself in between the two of them, and then squeaked when they both stared at her. She felt her face heat up, but for once she stuck her chin up and managed to look Coulson in the eye for a second before her eyes slid past him.

Her moment of bravery over, she hunched over, and started to wring her hands together. "Pl-ple-ease do-don't be me-mean to-o him," she whispered.

"We aren't going to," Coulson said, "We want to help him." He looked up at the scary-man. "And we want him to help us too."

Scary-man narrowed his eyes, and Coulson looked down at her again. She met his eyes this time, and searched them for sincerity. She looked back the Scary-man, who glanced at her then the agent, and then her again.

She stiffened as she felt a familiar presence approach the motel, but she couldn't place it. Scary-man stiffened when she did and turned his narrowed eyes to the door. Coulson turned as well, his brow furrowed in confusion.

The blond man from the mall walked through the door, and Loyalty looked over at the scary-man as he tensed even more.

"Captain," Coulson greeted.

The blonde man stopped in the doorway and stared at the agent, a funny look in his eyes. It reminded Loyalty of the way the twins had looked at each other after they had gotten out of the time loop.

"I don't think I'm even surprised," the man said after a beat.

"I think I should feel slightly insulted," Coulson deadpanned, before stepping back so that the blonde man could stand next to him. The man looked around the room as he walked in, taking in the starting to stir agents and the glass and wood shards everywhere.

"Is this why Fury wanted me here?" he asked.

Loyalty had a moment of wondering why an emotion was the one telling the man what to do, before she sheepishly realized that it was a name.

Coulson nodded towards the scary-man, "The two of them is why he wanted you here."

The blonde man looked down at her, and then crouched down to her impressive height of five feet.

"Hello," he said, "I don't think we've properly met. I'm Steve Rogers."

She ducked her head and mumbled her name.

Bucky snorted in their head, and Soldier sent a wave of confusion at him, his eyes not leaving Steve's crouched form.

 _It's just Steve's meeting Loyalty,_ Bucky attempted to explain, _the few memories that I have left of him are of a stubborn, loyal, caring skinny boy._

Soldier realized that a small smirk had made its way onto their face because of Bucky's amusement. It dropped off of his face, and he scanned the room, noting the couple of agents that weren't dead, had started to stir.

He looked back to find Coulson staring intently at him. He glared back, and one of the agents groaned causing Loyalty to jump. Steve look up at him and then away, glancing at Coulson.

"Perhaps we should have this conversation somewhere else?" he asked. Coulson nodded, and then looked at him. Soldier shrugged, avoiding Steve and Loyalty's eyes. He stalked out of the room, ignoring the guilt he felt.

 _Guilt?_ Bucky asked

 _I'm not the person they're looking for,_ Soldier thought, _You are. And you're stuck in your own head because of me._

Bucky groaned, _We're the same person. I swear if I could I'd hit you…_

 _We can't be the same person_ , Soldier argued, stalking down the street, completely forgetting about the three people following him. He didn't notice the worried look that Steve sent him, or the intense stare that Coulson had aimed at his back. Loyalty kept looking between the three of them nervously, careful to stay close to his back and away from the other men.

 _And why not?_ Bucky demanded.

 _We're too different,_ Soldier thought.

Bucky sighed, and Soldier could feel it rattle their chest. They both jumped mentally at the feeling, and Soldier resisted the urge to place a hand on his chest to feel the movement again.

 _How did you do that?_ Soldier demanded, stopping in his tracks, barely noticing when Loyalty ran into his back, and squeaked in surprise.

 _I- I don't know,_ Bucky said, his voice shaking slightly and surprise rolling off of him. Soldier looked down when a hesitant, fleeting hand touched his forearm.

"Scary-man?" she asked quietly. The bird on her head chirped, and hopped over to his shoulder. He blinked at it, and it rubbed its head on his cheek. Loyalty turned red, and flailed her hands in the air.

"T-ti-ina!" she cried, "You ca-an't just do-o that."

The bird chirped at her, and she frowned, "N-no. It-t's not th-that. You-you don-n't know i-if the-ey a-are ok wi-ith it."

"You can speak to animals?" Coulson asked, and she paled.

Loyalty resisted the urge to take a step back, and her eyes flickered between the three men around her.

"N-n-no-o," she finally managed to get out of her mouth. She felt Cora press up against her throat in silent support, the cobra's eyes heavy on her companions. Loyalty looked at Steve when he spoke up.

"Are you a mutant?" he asked hesitantly, "It's alright."

She shook her head and took a step back. Her shoulders itched even more, and she aborted movement towards them. Scary-man noticed though, and sent her a questioning glance. She shook her head again, more frantic. Her breath began to sped up, and Cora hissed quietly in her ear.

"Something other than a mutant?" Coulson asked, looking between her and Scary-man. Loyalty flinched bad enough that she knew that they had all seen it. Cora hissed louder, and Steve took a step towards her.

She flinched again, and took another step back. She took another and another, then turned and ran. They couldn't find out. Her shoulder blades twitched, and she pressed a hand on one. They just couldn't.

She felt Scary-man start after her, and she closed her eyes, allowing her magic to guide her. There had to be a place to hide.


	7. Chapter 6

A/N: Really short chapter. :/ Ah, well, I'll just have to post the next one soon then. Not sure if I like the developments, but it's too late to change them now (at least not without pulling a Twisted and rewriting everything taking it down and putting the new content back up. I hate that though). I just hope I'm balancing Loyalty's strengths and flaws well enough, that and that everything gets sufficiently foreshadowed so it doesn't come out of nowhere. As always Construcitve criticisms welcome. Reviews would make a great holiday present!

Disclaimer: I don't own Captain America

Chapter 6

Soldier glared at Steve before he turned and went after Loyalty. She was moving quickly and soon he couldn't sense her anymore. Bucky cursed in their head.

 _She's running faster than she had before,_ Bucky thought, _how?_

 _Something about her presence was starting to change before she ran,_ Soldier thought, stopping at an intersection in frustration. He scanned the crowd in hopes of finding a clue of which way she might of gone, when he noticed a familiar man in a black suit approach him. Agent Sitwell stopped right in front of him, his body tense, but his face the impassive mask he always wore.

The agent cocked his head to the side slightly, "Both HYDRA and SHIELD have been looking for you."

Soldier stiffened and fingered his gun. The agent's eyes flickered towards the movement before he said, "I would suggest looking in New Jersey. You and your new friends might find your answers there."

Sitwell turned and began to walk away when Soldier asked, "Who are you? Just who are you working for?"

Sitwell looked at him grimly, "The same as you hopefully, my country. Give Agent Coulson my regards. And my apologies."

The agent slipped back into the crowd and disappeared around a corner. Soldier stared at the direction the agent had gone for a minute, before someone bumped into him, and gave him a confused look.

 _The question is,_ Bucky thought, _What's in New Jersey? And if I was a shy girl with two exotic animals where would I go?_

 _That's two questions,_ Soldier pointed out with a roll of his eyes before he turned towards the zoo.

 _Well, you know,_ Bucky thought, _put that way it seems pretty obvious._

Loyalty hated her true form. She had disliked it before the circus had happened, but afterwards she loathed it. It honed her already unnaturally sharp senses making every too bright, too loud, too… much. She always felt like she had been dunked in boiling water, every nerve on fire. Even with her eyes screwed shut the light of the setting sun leaked through, dancing painfully on her eyes.

The constant dripping behind her was a drum next to her ear, and the concret on her back was a thousand pebbles tearing at her skin. The red wolf pup in her lap whined, no real meaning behind it, just a sound of worry. She winced when the sound assaulted her ears, but she buried her face in his side anyway.

The normally soft fur was rough to her oversensitive skin, and she felt tear run down her face.

She sensed Scary-man climb over the gate to the zoo, but she was too worn out to care. Her shoulder blades had finally gone numb, and Loyalty wasn't sure if she could stand anyways.

Footsteps approached her, and she curled into a tighter ball, wishing for just one moment that one of her siblings was there. She wished for Empathy's cool hand, Diligence's stubbornness, Valor's jokes, Endurance's sarcastic quips as he pulls her to her feet...

A fresh wave of tears poured from her eyes, and she bit back sobs. She wanted to go home. The footsteps paused a couple of feet away from her, and she couldn't muster up the mental energy to open her eyes to see the look on Scary-man's face.

Next to her, Cora hissed a warning, and the rest of the red wolf pack that surrounded her growled. One of the mothers hovered near her leg, just close enough that Loyalty could feel her heat, but not touching and aggravating her nerves.

"Wings?"

Loyalty took a hiccuping breath, and furrowed her brow. That didn't sound like the scary man. She pulled her face away from the pup, and squinted her eyes, feeling her wings quiver in pain behind her.

The man standing in front of her certainly looked like Scary-man, and he had the same presence. She hoped that no one would be desperate enough to fake being him that they would chop off their arm and replace it with a metal one, but she wasn't too sure.

"Y-you're not Sc-cary-man," she whispered.

The man blinked and flexed his fingers, a look of wonder flashing through his eyes briefly. He slowly crouched down to her level, before taking a seat.

"Technically he's me," the man said, then winced, and a rueful smile made its way across his face, "As much as he'd like to deny it."

"B-bucky?" she asked quietly, thinking back to the drive into the state.

"Hey kid," Bucky said quietly, "It's nice to finally meet you in person."


	8. Chapter 7

A/N: Look angst! And a slightly longer chapter! Happy Holidays guys, and remember Constructive Criticism wanted. Read and Review!

Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel.

Chapter 7

Bucky wasn't going to question it, feeling the air across his face directly for the first time in decades, with Soldier quiet in the back of their mind instead of the other way around. Loyalty's black wings quivered again, and as he got a little closer he could see the small but growing puddle of blood.

"Why don't we get you patched up?" he asked keeping half an eye on her cobra, and the wolves that surrounded her in a semi-circle. Loyalty flinched, and closed her eyes again. "That position doesn't look very comfortable. We don't have to go back to Steve and Coulson if you don't want to."

Loyalty curled into herself even more, and for a heart stopping moment Bucky thought that she had crushed the pup, and he would have to save her from a pack of angry wolves.

But the pup whined and licked the tears on her cheek as the wolves pressed closer to her, not touching but there all the same.

"I'm a monster," she whispered, "I'm a freak that can't do anything useful."

Bucky felt a sudden urge to do violence, Soldier growling in the back of his head and demanding they find and kill whoever told her that. He took a deep breath, and slowly unclenched his fists. He held his hands out palms down in a placating gesture.

"If you're a monster, then I fear for the rest of humanity," he said dryly.

 _Especially us,_ Soldier said quietly in the back of their mind.

 _You don't get a say,_ Bucky thought back in a faux-cheerful voice.

"I'm not human," she whispered.

Bucky raise an eyebrow, "You look human."

She sent him a reproachful look, and almost pointedly, flapped her wings. He grinned at her, and she flushed. The pup gave something that could pass as a laugh, and Loyalty sent it a betrayed look.

"I know of someone with wings," Bucky replied. The mutant was ostracized and hated, but Bucky wasn't going to tell her that.

She looked up at him doubtfully, "But you don't _know_ them."

Bucky shrugged, "You could say I didn't get out much." He thought of the cryogenic container, and shivered, feeling a phantom chill creep under his skin.

"Hey," he said softly, holding his hands out to her. She reached back slowly, one arm still holding onto the wolf pup, her hand warm on the cool metal of his, and he stood pulling her up as well. She stumbled, her legs buckling, and she gripped his hand tighter, leaning against him. "Even if you're not human, you're not useless."

She opened her mouth, but he cut her off, "You're not. I wouldn't be here talking to you if you were."

He could clearly see her back now and the two long, bleeding gashes that her wings had come out of. Her shirt was shredded and stained a dark red. The blood dripped down her back and off of her wings, shiny with blood.

"I once knew a guy. He was small, skinny, and helpless. A little like you," he threw in with a teasing grin. He was pleased when she flushed, but listened with rapt attention. "No one thought he would amount to anything. But he never gave up. And those talents that people would disregard? His stubbornness and his heart? Those eventually made him the most well known hero in America."

Her hand tightened around his, almost painfully, and he could have sworn that it creaked.

"He was my best friend," Bucky said softly, "The two of you have made me who I am today, so don't you dare call yourself useless. If you do, you're saying that you regret anything you've done for the people you've changed just by being yourself."

Her eyes were large, but she took a deep breath and nodded. She leaned down, and with a slight wobble, placed the wolf pup on the ground. It whined at her, and pawed at her feet, but she shook her head.

"You h-have to stay here," she said.

Bucky eyed her wings and said, "As much as I love the new accessories kid, they aren't exactly the most inconspicuous."

She blushed lightly, and nodded. Loyalty closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. Then another, and her wings began to slowly pull into her body.

Loyalty counted to ten in head before and after every breath like Empathy had taught her, and felt her wings start to recede, almost agonizingly slow. She had learned the hard way though that directing her magic at the process didn't help.

She leaned into Bucky more as her wings finally disappeared, and her perception of the world changed. She gave a small smile as her sense returned to their normal, but higher than human perceptions. She could still sense the red wolf pack and hear them breathing, but she couldn't feel their body temperature or hear their heartbeat.

She let out a small giddy giggle, and Bucky gave her a confused look. She gave him a full blown grin in return that left him staring in surprise. His metal hand was cool against hers rather than frigid, and it was smooth instead of the plated it had been a second ago.

"Where are we going now?" she asked.

"Food and bandages?" Bucky suggested. Loyalty nodded, and leaned against him as they carefully made their way out of the exhibit and towards the exit. She opened her mouth to suggest where they should go, but she blinked as a presence that she thought was familiar brushed against hers. She glanced around and and made eye contact with a light haired woman standing in a darkened corner.

The woman gave her a sinister smile and waved, the familiar bracelet on her arm glinting as it caught the fading light. Loyalty resisted the urge to rub at the matching scar on her upper arm, and took a brief moment to be thankful that her baggy sleeves still covered it.

"Not to be cliche," Bucky said, "But you look like you've seen a ghost."

Loyalty started and glanced up at him, "Those exist here?"

Endurance had told her about worlds that had ghosts, some harmless, some friendly, but some even more dangerous than her people.

"Of course not," Bucky said, giving her a confused look.

"Oh," Loyalty said with a blush, and glanced back at the corner briefly, but the woman was gone. She looked in front of them. and jumped when she noticed the woman standing in front of them, her presence dimmed to a horrifying degree. Bucky flinched, and then his eyes hardened, and he carefully slid his hand out of her grasp, but stayed close enough that he could still support her weight.

"Who are you?" Scary-man asked. Loyalty felt the blood drain out of her face, and she huddled closer to him. She felt Cora's cool scales slid up her leg and around her body, until the corba was in her usual place. Loyalty looked at her childhood companion, but the snake returned it with a worried look, and an even more worried silence.

They knew from experience, that if the woman had back up that they wouldn't win the confrontation. She heard Tina chirp in confusion above them, and Scary-man gave her a quick look through the corner of his eye. He must have seen some of her fear, because he shifted so that he was just in front of her.

She wanted to tug him from his position. She had already gotten her family hurt fighting for her; she didn't want anyone else to get injured.

"Just an employee," the woman said in a tone that none of them believed. She smiled at the scary-man, full of challenge and danger. "Perhaps we should call an ambulance for the girl?"

Loyalty found herself shaking her head frantically before the woman finished her question. The woman's eyes drifted to her, and Loyalty felt like slug had slid under her skin. She huddled farther behind Scary-man, and something darkly sadistic danced through the woman's eye briefly before she donned a professional mask.

"Then the medical center we have on site?" the woman suggested, waving vaguely behind her. Loyalty bit down on her lip, and Cora tightened around her waist.

Scary-man glanced down at her, and then glared at the woman.

"No," he said shortly, and began to warily walk around the woman. Loyalty's shoulders slumped in relief and she followed closely behind him, almost tripping over his feet she was so close.

The woman didn't move as the walked past her and over the gate, but Loyalty could feel her eyes on her the entire time. It made Loyalty want to scratch her own skin off, and brought up memories that she would prefer buried.

 _She huddled closer to the end of the cage, her wings wrapping around her in meager comfort, and she was hyper aware of the absence of Cora's cool scales. She could feel the eyes staring at her, and the whispers that accompanied them. The bracelet on her upper arm pulsed with magic, and Loyalty whimpered as its magic pushed against her own painfully._

 _Cruel laughter reached her ears, and she curled into a tighter ball._

" _Hey!" one of the voices said approaching where the circus had put her on display. The female voice continued and Loyalty flinched at the cruelty behind it, "It's the freak that we captured."_

" _Too bad we ran into one this age. I hear the older ones put up much more of a fight," one of the males complained, and Loyalty had a brief moment where she wondered if he had the same wild look in his eyes that Valor got when talking about battle. "Can you imagine what that would have been like?"_

" _You won't have to," another voice cut in, and Loyalty could sense the ringmaster approach them, "The older ones will be here soon to try and take her back."_

 _Loyalty looked up at him, when she finally managed to sort through all of the constantly shifting presences, and met Cora's dull eyes. She felt an uncharacteristic snarl work its way up her throat. They had drugged Cora. They had dulled Cora's personality, and reflexes, and draped her over the ringmaster's shoulder like some trophy._

 _The ringmaster caught her glare, and turned to face the barrier that kept her in the display. Suddenly, he slammed both hands against it making some of the visitors around him jump, and Loyalty cried out, clutching her ears as they rang from the loud noise. Through the ringing in her ears, she could barely make out more laughter, and she curled into a ball, wrapping her wings around herself even tighter. And in the small amount of privacy she could make, she began to cry._

 _But quietly in her heart, she kindled a flame of hope around the terror and pain, her siblings would come for her, they were coming for her, and if she knew them, they would burn this place to the ground._


	9. Chapter 8

A/N: *Screams because finals* Here have some fluff and humor to make us both feel better. Remember read and review, and Constructive Criticism wanted. I'll bake you virtual brownies of you do.

Disclaimer: I have not yet managed to steal the MCU

Chapter 8

A hand on her shoulder snapped Loyalty out of her memories, and she looked up at Scary-man. He held out a roll of bandages, and she looked around the room they were in with confusion. It looked like a small back storage room, and she looked up at Scary-man in confusion. He rolled his eyes and shoved the bandages into her hands.

 _Do you need help with that?_ Tina chirped from on top of a shelf. She gave the bird a small smile and nodded.

Cora slipped off of her and slithered in the direction Scary-man had gone, hissing, _You're not putting those on until the blood on your back is cleaned._

Loyalty exchanged a glance with Tina and giggled, Tina chirping happily while he worked on getting a good hold on the bandages with his small talons. She looked down when something nudged her leg, and Cora looked up at her with a wet rag in her mouth with a meaningful glance at her shredded shirt.

She blushed but turned to face the wall, and carefully pulled the remains of her shirt and bra off, squeaking in surprise when some of the cold water from the rag dripped onto her leg as Cora wound around it.

Her back straightened and she fought a shiver when the cool wet cloth hit her back. Cora worked quickly, and then Tina was flying tight circles around her as she held one end of the roll to her side.

She turned around when they were done, and fought down a giggle when she saw that Scary-man had turned around, and she could see a slight red tinge to his neck. Cora gave her a look that said that if she could she would roll her eyes.

 _Put some clothes on,_ she hissed.

Loyalty looked down at the bandages that covered most of her chest and was tempted to shrug. She turned to face Tina to see if the bird had had spotted something she could use from his earlier perch when something landed on her head, covering her eyes. She tugged at it, and found a black jacket in her hands.

She looked up, but Scary-man was still facing away from her, however he was no longer wearing his jacket. She looked down at the jacket in her hands, and gave a small smile as she slipped it on. She zipped it closed and turned to face him.

"Wh-what now?" she asked quietly.

Scary-man glanced at her, and when he noticed that she was now clothed he turned around fully, and then frowned. Loyalty's brow furrowed in confusion, and then she looked down and blushed when she realized what his problem was. The jacket was loose and baggy around her waist like most of her clothes, but it tightened around her chest area, showing off the fact that she did in fact have one.

"You're not twelve?" he asked slowly.

She blushed and flailed her arms, "I know I-I'm short but do I really look twelve?"

He nodded, and looked up from where he was studying how the jacket looked on her. Loyalty buried her head in her hands, and started to mumble, "Maybe that's why all my siblings treat me like I'm the youngest."

Scary-man tilted his head to the side, just slightly, "Siblings?"

Loyalty nodded, and lifted her chin up in pride, "I have eleven siblings, not including myself."

He raised his eyebrow, "Eleven."

Loyalty nodded, "In order of birth, there's Integrity, Valor, Empathy, Diligence, the twins Mirth and Levity, me, Endurance, Courage, Honor, Faith, and finally Hope."

"You're all named after virtues?" he asked.

She blushed and gave a small shrug, "It's a family tradition. Don't you have any?"

His mouth twisted down into a frown, and he looked away, before giving a small shrug. She thought, just for a moment, that he looked like a lost puppy that needed a hug. And for a heart stopping second, he was Courage right after Commitment died. She moved on instinct, reaching out and grabbing him into a hug.

He stiffened and she was reminded that he was not, in fact, one of her siblings in need of comfort. She hesitated and moved to pull away when a hesitant arm wrapped around her shoulders. She grinned, knowing he wouldn't see it, and buried her face in his chest.

Soldier glanced around the cafe that they were sitting in, and then down at the cup of coffee in front of him. Across from him, Loyalty held a cup of steaming hot chocolate, and stared at the cream puffs in front of her like they would eat her instead of the other way around. He picked up the coffee and sipped at it, watching the girl across from him, wondering just what went through her head.

 _Well,_ Bucky thought, _She's a genuinely nice person, so she was probably just trying to comfort you._

 _Why?_ Soldier thought, baffled.

Bucky rolled their eyes, and Loyalty glanced up at them. She gave a hesitant smile before she poked the cream puff in of her, and after a second, picked it up and ate it.

"Wh-what are we going to do now?" she asked after a second, poking at another cream puff, before grimacing and setting it aside, "Can we r-run from them forever?"

Soldier grimaced, and thought, _Do we have any safe houses that HYDRA doesn't know about?_

 _I don't think so,_ Bucky replied, _but you would know better than I would, since you have all those particular memories._

"Um," Loyalty whispered, "I don't have any money."

Soldier looked down at his outfit, and then at the bill in his hand.

"I don't either," he said slowly. They both looked at the waiter, who had his back to them taking someone else's order, and then at each other. Slowly, they stood up and walked out of the cafe, Loyalty grabbing a couple handfuls of the cream puffs to take with her. They made it three blocks before Loyalty said, "W-we could steal everything we need."

Soldier turned and stared at her.

She blushed and shrugged, "It's how E-endurance gets by when this happens, so I-I may have experience in…" she barely squeaked out, "Stealing."

 _I don't know why you're hesitating,_ Bucky pointed out, _We've done much worse._

 _No, I've done much worse. You never did anything,_ Soldier said.

 _That's debatable, especially at the beginning,_ Bucky replied.

Soldier gave a frustrated noise, and Loyalty glanced up at him, and then went back to picking through the cream puffs tossing out about every one out of five.

 _You don't understand,_ Soldier said, and he glanced at Loyalty walking beside him, _You and her. You have to be morally straight because otherwise I'll just be the HYDRA asset. You two are what I base what I should and shouldn't do. You two are my morality._

Bucky sat back in their head in stunned silence, and Soldier looked down at Loyalty again to see her staring at him, and he realized that he actually said his last statement out loud.

She looked at him with large eyes, that turned serious, the light in them reflecting his image back and turning just the little bit dark, showing unfathomable depths. She ducked her head slightly, and looked him in the eye saying softly, "I will try my best to live up to the responsibility that you have placed in me."


	10. Chapter 9

A/N: I may or may not be avoiding my finals . by writing... Aren't you so glad that I am so you can have this chapter? Also am I the only one upset at the lack of Clint in The Winter Soldier? Read and Review please!

Disclaimer: One day... One day... I will own it

Chapter 9

Steve was panicking. He followed just behind Coulson, who was talking on his phone with someone, Steve thought it was either Natasha or Clint. Whoever it was had reacted in surprise when Coulson called, but seemed willing to listen to the agent.

Steve could empathize with them, having someone you cared about return from the dead without warning was a heart wrenching experience.

He clenched his fists, and scanned the street they were on in a futile hope of seeing Bucky or the girl that was with him. Bucky, who sometimes looked at him like he used to, but sometimes looked at him with cold, unrecognizable eyes. If he hadn't been dragging that girl around with him, Steve would probably wonder if the Bucky he knew still existed. Taking in someone small and helpless was something that Bucky had done before, though it made Steve wonder if she had a backbone of steel buried somewhere in her, instead of worn proudly like his had been.

"What did you say?" Coulson said, his tone dropping to a chilly tone.

Steve stopped when Coulson did, idly wondering if stopping in the middle of the street was a future thing. Maybe he should ask Sam later?

"I don't care if the World Council itself ordered me. You can't make me the director just because Fury died," Coulson replied. There was a pause as the person on the other line said something, "Fine then." Another pause, " _Don't you dare use my team against me."_

He snapped the phone shut, and sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Fury's dead?" Steve asked. He felt as if the world had been knocked off of its axis, because Fury had survived three different HYDRA assassination attempts recently, so why had the fourth be more successful than the others?

Coulson sighed again, "Fury's dead, and some of the other agents want me to be the next director. Pierce was exploring the option."

Coulson looked up at, "I turned him down and now I'm fired."

"Fired?!" Steve asked.

Coulson shrugged, "The only man I'd trust enough to follow is dead now, so it doesn't really matter." He scowled, "Pierce had the nerve to mention my team, and we still don't know who exactly killed Fury."

"It couldn't have been Bucky," Steve was quick to throw in, quick to the defense of his best friend like they hadn't been separated for seventy years. Though sometimes it still felt like it had only been days for Steve, "He's here in Rhodes Island."

Coulson gave him an almost sorrowful look, "He doesn't have to be in DC to be involved, Captain. There's the possibility that he was sent here to draw us out, and get us out of the way so they wouldn't have to deal with us when they went after Fury."

Steve looked away, and changed the subject, not wanting to think about his best friend working for HYDRA for any reason, "But why are you fired?"

Coulson looked Steve in the eye and said, "Probably because Pierce is HYDRA."

Loyalty followed Scary-man as they walked down the street, and very carefully kept her mouth shut. Every sibling instinct in her was screaming at her to take him to Em's clinic where her sister would be able to help.

But the woman before was still following them. She was almost six blocks away from them, probably tracking them the way Loyalty was monitoring her. A person's presence was a hard thing to hide. Which meant that moment from earlier was a warning and a threat, a show of power, and Loyalty refused to lead the group after her to the one place that kept her siblings safe.

So she stayed behind Scary-man, kept her mouth shut, and wondered what they were going to do now.

They stopped in front of a hotel, and Scary-man shifted uncomfortably, turning to look at her. He looked her in the eye, and if Loyalty focused her magic, she could feel Bucky shifting just below the surface. Scary-man held his body unnatural still much like Mirth did when she was preparing to take a blow.

His eyes didn't meet hers, "They- Steve- This-"

He looked frustrated and so much like Endurance did when her brother actually tried to empathize and communicate like a civilized being instead of tearing apart someone's weaknesses. She placed a gentle hand on his are and something clicked. Whoever Steve was too Scary-man and Bucky, he was like Empathy's clinic was to her. He was their place that felt safe.

"It's okay," she said quietly, "It's just Steve Rogers and Agent Coulson, right?"

He nodded, and she gave him a small smile, reaching out with her magic to find the room that the other two men were in. She gripped the front of his armor, and tugged him forward into the hotel. Her magic did a sweep of the lobby of the hotel as they walked in, making sure that none of the other members of the woman's group was nearby.

The woman at the counter felt familiar, but friendly, and if Loyalty looked closely, she could see that the woman's wig was just off. There was an old couple talking quietly on one of the couches just off to the side, but their presence was a muted warmth that reminded her of her parents. Loyalty glanced around, unsure if there was someone she couldn't sense. The woman at the zoo had managed it so Loyalty wasn't going to discount the possibility, especially since she wasn't the only one that would suffer from it if she was wrong.

She tugged Scary-man towards the elevator, giving the woman another glance before dismissing her as a threat. They stepped into the elevator, and Loyalty pressed the button for the twentieth floor. Scary-man leaned in one of the corners, his eyes glued to the elevator doors. Loyalty fidgeted, and walked over to the other corner and stood there for a second before she moved closer to Scary-man. She stayed there for a second before she paced towards the button console and then back to corner. Scary-man's eyes flickered over to watch her pace before he went back to watching the door.

 _Calm down,_ Cora hissed, making Loyalty jump.

"But something feels off," she said quietly. Scary-man glanced at her again, and gestured for her to stay close.

 _Are you sure that it's not just her?_ Cora asked, _She's somewhere in the lobby now._

Loyalty reached downward with her magic, and felt the woman's presence in the back corner of the hotel, pulsing with anticipation like a heartbeat. Loyalty shivered, and moved over to the space that Scary-man made for her, as he practically shoved her into the corner and stood in front of her, hiding her with his bulk.

"I don't think so," Loyalty whispered, "I'm not sure what it is. More like an immediate threat rather than dread."

The elevator stopped, but Loyalty didn't think it was the twentieth floor yet and peered around Scary-man to watch a well built, dirty blonde man step on, a teddy bear tucked under his arm.

He stepped in whistling a tune, and nodded at the two of them, before looking at the console.

"Well, look at that," he said cheerfully, "Looks like we're heading for the same floor."

Loyalty stared at the man, not liking the feeling of foreboding that rolled off of him. But, if she focused, it seemed like it wasn't coming from him at all, but the teddy bear he carried.

"I-is your b-bear p-pos-ssesed?" she whispered.

The man glanced at her, then at Scary-man, and then the bear.

"This thing?" he asked pulling it out from under his arm. It was a strange light turquoise, and showed far too many teeth. The paws were a clashing brown, and there were rips all along the body, where the metal claws had caught on itself.

The man looked down at it speculatively, "That actually might be a distinct possibility."

Loyalty squeaked and dove behind Scary-man.

"Cute kid," the man said after a minute. From her position of cowering behind Scary-man's back, Loyalty felt his surprise rippling through his body, and could, to her surprise, actually feel the transition from Scary-man to Bucky.

Scary-man stood like Valor or Mirth, all tense warrior energy, waiting for an attack at any side. Bucky was closer to Integrity, a soldier prepared and at a attention, but a little more relaxed.

(And one day, Loyalty told herself, she would stop comparing people she cared about to her siblings.)

"She's not my-" Bucky hesitated, "She's-"

He ran a frustrated hand through his hair, and for a moment seemed surprised that it was so long. Loyalty watched the other man watch him with sharp eyes.

"Your sister?" the man asked, and Loyalty stiffened behind Bucky. Being associated with her in that way would be extremely dangerous right now. Her hands tightened on the back of his armor, and felt him straighten, looking the man straight in the eyes.

"Yeah, she's my sister," he said, reaching a hand behind him to carefully pry her hand off of his armor. Loyalty didn't know if she wanted to cry or laugh. Two weeks away from her siblings had made her almost dangerously dependent on Bucky and Scary-man, and hearing him claim her as a sibling made her deliriously happy. But if she reached out with her magic, she could feel three more people meet the woman down stairs, and she fought the urge to sob in horror.

If Bucky was with her, she had no doubt that they would capture him too.

She took a deep breath; Tina curling up next to her ear, and Cora a reassuring weight around her waist. She almost missed what the other man said, focusing on her breathing and calming down before a repeat of the zoo happened.

"You're packing a lot of heat for someone traveling with their sister," the man said, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet.

"So are you," Bucky shoot back, "For someone delivering an ugly teddy bear."

The man grinned, "This teddy bear is a gift to mankind, don't you dare insult it in such a fashion."  
Loyalty wished she could see Bucky's face because she was almost certain that he was raising an eyebrow, "Oh I'm sure he's a gift to mankind in the same way that you are."

"Excuse you?" the man said, his grin growing even more, "I'm not just a gift to mankind. I'm the foundation civilization was built on."

"I'm sure you were," Bucky said drily, "I just must have missed the memo for your new religion."

The man laughed, and then turned serious, "I don't think HYDRA would appreciate the switch."

Bucky shrugged, "At this point, HYDRA can go screw itself."

The elevator dinged its stop, and all three of its occupants jumped in surprise. Bucky stiffened and then Scary-man was the one standing in front of her.

"Interesting," the man said, still watching them with his too sharp eyes. "Are we going to the same person or are you here to kill someone else?"

Scary-man snarled at Sharp-eyed-man, but Loyalty just wanted to get to Steve at this point. She ducked under Scary-man's arm, and then tugged on it, resolutely leading him towards the room she could sense Steve in. She could feel eyes on her back once more, though it was different from when the woman was watching her. Sharp-eyed-man felt more like Integrity after the war, all wariness rather than hostility. So she didn't attempt to shake him off; she just led Scary-man to the place that he felt safest.


	11. Chapter 10

A/N: Holy crap never again. Longest chapter by a long shot. We're also coming up on what I have written already... I may have to actually pick up my pace in writing. As always Constructive Criticism makes my day. Read and Review. ^-^

Disclaimer: If I owned the MCU, let's be honest, I'd mentally scar all the characters.

Chapter 10

Soldier glanced back at the SHIELD agent following them several times as Loyalty led them down the halls.

 _I don't trust him,_ Bucky told him.

 _Agent Barton,_ Soldier thought back, remembering the files that Pierce had shown him about the Avengers Initiative, _also known as Hawkeye. One of the best agents SHIELD employs and one of the few humans on the Avengers Initiative. Present in New York. Possible future target. Skilled with a bow, and his handler used to be Agent Coulson before the agent was almost killed by the Norse God Loki, and Fury pulled the handler to put together another specialized team. Has a close relationship with Natasha Romanov, and is known to disappear after completed missions. Highly dangerous to Hydra's goals, and can not be converted to the cause or controlled._

 _Wow,_ Bucky thought, _I think that's the most I've heard you think or say ever._

 _Pay attention,_ Soldier snapped, _if we're going to be switching places you need to know this._

Before Bucky could reply, Loyalty stopped in front of a door, raised a hand to knock, and then hesitated. She lowered her hand, raised it again, lowered it.

"Knock," Agent Barton said, his voice in a fake whisper with a strange glee in his voice, "Just knock." Barton grinned and turned to Soldier, who glared, "Why isn't she knocking? Do you think she knows how to knock?"  
Loyalty flinched slightly, and Soldier glared even more. Barton raised his hands defensively, "No offence meant. Here I'll do it."

He stepped forward, and Loyalty stepped to the side to let him through. Barton didn't knock though, he simply opened the door and walked in. There was a crackling sound, and Soldier pulled Loyalty behind him, stiffening in alarm.

"Agent Barton," Agent Coulson said in a dry unimpressed tone, "Perhaps you would feel like informing me why you have a HYDRA assassin following you."

"In all fairness Phil," Barton said, bouncing on the balls of his feet, like there wasn't a taser inches from his face, "I followed him."

Coulson sighed, and pulled the taser away from Barton's face, slipping the taser back to wherever he hid it. He stepped aside and waved them in, nodding to Soldier and Loyalty. Loyalty kept close to Soldier's back as he looked around the large hotel room. Steve's back was to them, and he was talking on the phone.

"I'm sure Natasha. There something strange going on with…"

Agent Coulson coughed, and Steve whirled around. He stared at them with wide eyes for a second before he turned back to the phone.

"I'm fine. I'll call you back," he said and went to hang up the phone, but Agent Barton made grabby hands at it.

Steve gave him a confused look, but handed the phone to him.

"It's Nat, right?" Barton didn't wait for an answer, and began to talk on the phone, "Hey Nat, it's me." Barton grinned, "You'll never guess who I ran into today." He pouted at something that was said, "Yeah, it's Coulson." Barton's eyes darted to the agent, and he turned serious, "I agree. We should get together and have a serious conversation about not telling your team that you're not dead."

Agent Coulson sighed, and opened his mouth to say something, when Loyalty froze, and then quietly whimpered. She tugged on Soldier's sleeve and whispered, "We need to go. Now."

Soldier furrowed his brow in confusion, and then he distantly heard the elevator ding as it reach the floor. There were a small group of steady, deliberate footsteps, and everyone in the room froze.

"HYDRA?" Steve asked. Loyalty shook her head and plastered herself to his side. He could feel her start to shake, and for a second he debated letting Bucky take care of it. Then there was a crash down the hall, and everyone jumped.

"They don't know what room we're in," Loyalty whispered. "So they're going through all the rooms in this hallway. We have about five minutes before they find us."

"Who are they?" Barton asked.

"Bounty hunters," Loyalty explained, "they capture what they think of as unique people and creatures and sell them to the highest bidder. But occasionally they take a contract to capture something or someone specific."

"We'll have to fight them then," Steve said after scanning the room for another possible exit, if they left through the door now they'd be spotted, but that was the only exit from the room.

Loyalty paled and shook her head. "I don't think you could take this many of them."

Barton raised his eyebrow at her and asked, "You don't think the Avengers could take down some bounty hunters? How many are there?"

Loyalty cocked her head to the side, her eyes slide shut. Her hands tightened on Soldier's arm, and she whispered, "There are seven here."

"Seven?" Barton said, "Coulson could take seven bounty hunters by himself. He'd just taser them all into submission."

The door of the neighboring room shatters, and Loyalty flinched.

"But what if they're not human?" she whispered.

"Wait. You mean like Thor?" Barton asked.

"I don't know who you're talking about but they aren't from this world. If that's what you're asking," Loyalty said, as she grew paler and paler. There was a crash from next door, and something thumped as it hit the wall.

Loyalty felt herself shaking more and more, and for a moment she thought that she was going to fly apart. She pressed her fingertips to Scary-man's arm, and focused on not hyperventilating, as the familiar presences in the next room dragged memories that she would prefer forgotten.

 _-heat as they tested how much her senses could take-_

 _-pain as her wings were stretched, and the people watching broke into whispers-_

 _-a crack as she hit the wall, when Cora failed to dodge the strike-_

 _-loss of warmth as Cora's soul was separated from her own; the connection that they had both held since the day Loyalty received Cora from her parents, torn-_

She jumped when she heard another crash from the next room, and bit her lip.

"Please," she said, her voice cracking, "Please. Can we just leave?"

Soldier watched the door warily, and ignored Barton's eye roll.

"Look," Barton said, his tone growing cross, "You hang out with a guy that may or may not work for HYDRA. Excuse me for not believe a word you say."

"Even if we did agree not to fight them, there's no way we could leave without them spotting us," Steve pointed out, grabbing his shield from where it leaned against the wall.

"She's not from HYDRA," Coulson said, glancing down as his phone vibrated, "We got intelligence that proved that they were after her for some reason. She isn't working with for all that she hangs off of their best assassin."

"Natasha's on her way," He said, looking up from his phone, "She says that she's bringing Sam and 'whatever that contraption of his is called.'"

Coulson's phone vibrated again, and he glanced down, "She also says that if anyone else finds out that she spoke that unprofessionally then she's going to skin them while she plays the worst of Stark's ramblings in the background. So I suggest that sentence never leaves the room."

In their head Bucky whistled, _Ouch, but why would she threaten to use Stark talking? Howard wasn't that bad. Arrogant, insufferable, and a complete idiot despite being a genius, but he didn't ramble to my knowledge._

 _Anthony Stark, son of howard Stark. Former CEO of Stark Industries. Engineering prodigy and all around genius. He was captured during a weapons showing in Afghanistan, and created the Iron Man armor to escape. Well-known for his irresponsibility and flings in the press. Recently converted Stark Industries from a weapons manufacturing company to working on green energy. Currently in a relationship with the CEO of Stark industries Virginia Potts._ Soldier recited from the files he had been given. _Member of the newly formed Avengers Initiative. Present in New York. Is dangerous to Hydra's goals, but could be blackmailed with threat of Virginia Potts and Happy Hogan's lives._

"You're friend Sam," Loyalty whispered, "does he feel warm like he does?" She pointed at Barton, "A little bit broken, his presence wavering just slightly. But warm, and loyal."

"I would assume he does?" Steve replied, his brow furrowing slightly, and confusion entering his tone.

Loyalty looked up at Soldier. "The window," she whispered. "We can leave through the window."

Barton leaned closer to Coulson, "See Phil? Someone else advocates my jumping out of windows."

Coulson gave Loyalty a disappointed look. "You seemed reasonable. There's no reason to encourage his ill advised thoughtless tendencies."

"I put plenty of thought into my actions," Barton protested. He opened the window and leaned out of it, probably planning the best path down using the window seals. There was a sudden bang and the door shuddered. Barton yelped and his hands slid forward as he tilted precariously out the window.

"Clint!" Steve yelled, and surged forward to grab the archer before he fell.

"Oh yeah," Coulson said dryly, "I'm sure you put a lot of thought into that Clint."

The SHIELD agent stuck his tongue out at his ex-handler, and leaned out the window again, as the door shuddered once more. "I think we can climb down safely if we go in a somewhat diagonal pattern," Barton said, tracing out the path that he saw as everyone else crowded around him.

The door shuddered and there was a crack. Soldier spun around and stared at the large crack that ran down the door.

"Faster," he growled as the bird circled above them chirping frantically. Barton was already out the window, the teddy bear he had brought tied around his waist, and Steve was helping Loyalty climb out. The door shuddered, and there was a creak as the hinges began to pull away from the wall. Soldier moved to a different window, and when he noticed that it wouldn't open, he shoved his left arm through the glass.

He gestured at Coulson, and the agent climbed out, careful of the glass shards. Soldier glanced up to make sure that Loyalty had gotten out, and met Steve's eyes. They nodded at each other and climbed out their respective windows at the same time, Bucky's memory echoing in his head.

 _Get outta here!_

 _No! Not without you!_

Soldier swung his leg over the window sill right as the door buckled in on itself, and the woman from the zoo walked in. A spark of anger hovered in her eyes, and she held a pair of brass knuckles lightly in her hands.

Soldier started in surprise when she immediately charged him, and he felt his right hand catch on the shattered glass. He let go of the window and dropped down right as the woman reached him.

Distantly, he heard Steve yell his name. He reached out to grab on of the window sills as he fell, and he winced at the pain that flared through his arm when he jerked to a stop. The blood on his hand made gripping hard, and Soldier figured that he had a minute before he fell again.

He tried to swing his metal arm up, but the movement jostled his probably dislocated shoulder. He glanced at Loyalty who clung to the wall just above him and slightly to his left. She was pale and her tight grip on the window sill turned her knuckles white. Their eyes met, and she nodded her understanding.

 _Can I say that this is a bad idea?_ Bucky thought.

 _You can,_ Soldier replied blandly, as he kicked off the wall, and started to freefall.

Loyalty took a deep breath and let go of the wall right after Scary-man did. She pushed off of the wall, and twisted her body into a dive after him. She felt someone's arm brush her leg as she fell past them. She figured that it was probably Steve trying to stop her from falling.

She concentrated on her magic, and focused it in her shoulder blades. Cora wound tighter around her waist, and Loyalty took a deep breath before she forced her wings out. She cried out in pain as they ripped out of her shoulder blades, and heard Tina chirp in worry above her.

She flapped her wings to catch up to Scary-man, and grabbed his arms. She tried to pull up, straining against his weight, even with the increase in strength that her true form gave her. She whimpered as the added weight pulled on the cuts that ran down her back, new and old.

But their descent slowed, and then stopped. Loyalty's wings strained, and then slowly they began to ascend. She carefully carried him to a nearby rooftop, and put him down.

He nodded his thanks, and she gave a small smile in return. Loyalty glanced up, and in a small voice, asked, "Is that the person with wings that Bucky mentioned?"

Scary-man glanced up sharply, his dark eyes scanning the sky. Loyalty pointed out quickly approaching man in the air, not sure if Scary-man could see him without enhanced senses like her. The dark male approaching them was still far enough that she couldn't make out his expression, but the presence that had been hovering at the edges of her senses made sense now. Warm and loyal, but just a bit broken.

Scary-man cocked his head to the side slightly, and unconscious gesture that Loyalty wondered if he even knew that he did when he conversed with Bucky in their head.

He shook his head slightly, and for a brief, irrational moment Loyalty hoped that one of her people had managed to find her. But she shook her head of that thought, even if it was, she wouldn't leave without Dil, and Scary-man still needed her support.

She grimaced in pain as she stretched her wings out to take to the sky once more. A large hand landed softly on her shoulder, preventing her from taking off. She turned to look at Scary-man.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

Loyalty glanced back to the people who were climbing down the side of the hotel. "They won't make it before the hunters make it to the bottom," she said quietly.

Scary-man glanced at her, the figures clinging to the hotel, and then the rapidly approaching man. His face turned grim, and he nodded, stepping back to give her room to take off.

Loyalty took to the air, ignoring the pain like Teg and Dil had taught her so long ago. She hovered by Agent Coulson, and blushed when Sharp-eyed man whistled.

"Well, aren't those some nice accessories," he said.

"May I?" she asked Agent Coulson, aware of her burning face and the way that it was spreading to her ears and neck.

Agent Coulson studied her, his impassive face giving nothing away, "Can you carry me?"

Loyalty nodded, and grabbed his upper arms. "Ready?" she asked.

He nodded and she pulled away from the building. He let go of the wall, and in a quick, smooth movement reached up to grab her arms in return. Her wings flapped harder to keep her and her new passenger in the air. Loyalty flew towards the roof she had left Scary-man, but the winged man stopped her before she could.

"Are you with SHIELD?" he asked, and this close she could see that the wings weren't natural extensions of his body, but a metal contraption that looked like wings. She bit her bottom lip and opened her mouth to reply, but Coulson beat her to it.

"SHIELD's been compromised. You might want to ask a different question," he said, his voice deadpan.

Loyalty could see the other man blink underneath his goggles before he asked, "Are you with Steve?"

She felt Coulson nod with the utmost seriousness. The winged man gave a sharp exhale before moving out of her way and towards Steve and the Sharp-eyed man. Loyalty placed Coulson down next to Scary-man and turned to grab whoever the winged man hadn't when she swerved in the air. She shook her head trying to clear it of the light headedness that abruptly reminded her of her bleeding shoulder blades.

Her back itched slightly with drying blood, and some fresh blood started to drip down her arms, warm and sticky and dying everything red. The winged man pulled Steve off of the building, and headed towards Coulson and Scary-man, so she went to help Sharp-eyed man. She fought a whimper of pain, hands shooting up to cover her ears as something close to a gunshot assaulted her ears. Sharp-eyed man winced as glass shards rained down, one scratching his cheek, and the smaller ones making his hair sparkle.

A hand shot out from the broken window and reached for Sharp-eyed man, who let go, in a mix of surprise and an attempt to get away.

"Tina!" Loyalty cried, as he fell, his fingers scraping against the wall as he attempted to slow his fall or grab a windowsill. Loyalty flung her arm out to met Tina who dug his talons into her upper arm to stay on. She reached out with her magic through the physical contact and the small, wavering bond she had with the bird, so different from the constant chain-like connection she had with Cora, and tugged.

There was a bewildering moment as her body adjusted to the new soul that she had forced into it, and Loyalty huddled in the back of her mind, wondering at the warm excitement that Tina gave off. Loyalty tried to reconcile it with Cora's cool calm, as Tina took control and sent her body hurtling after Sharp-eyed Man. Warmth radiated everywhere as Tina laughed, reaching out to catch Sharp-eyed man. Her hands sticky with blood clasped his, and Tina snapped her wings out in a smooth natural motion that Loyalty would never be able to match.

They dipped and then launched upward, Tina's laughter growing and Sharp-eyed man joining in. The air whistled past their ears as they pulled away from the street. Tina fluttered Loyalty's wings and they landed gently on the roof. Sharp-eyed man sauntered over to Steve, Coulson, and the Winged-man, a wild grin on his face.

"That was great!" Tina cheered, a grin splitting Loyalty's face. "Can we do that again?" he asked bounding up to Scary-man, who stared at Tina with wide eyes.

 _Let's not,_ Loyalty thought with a quiver in her voice. Tina pouted.

The silence stretched until Cora hissed, _Idiot, give Ty control back._

"Oh, right, oops," he chirped, and the warmth from his soul receded. Loyalty took a deep breath, pulling her wings back in even as she winced when Tina dug his talons out of her upper arm. She wobbled and Scary-man's metal arm shot out to stabilize her.

"I'm fine, really," she said breathlessly, her ears ringing. Her putting most of her weight on his arm didn't help her argument, and he gave her a dubious look. "I'm-" her breath hitched, and she tried to blink the spots out of her eyes. Cora hissed something that Loyalty didn't catch as her vision tunneled. She blinked again, her vision turned black, and she toppled forward.


	12. Chapter 11

AN- Look I'm alive! And I'll admit that I have no real idea of what I'm doing, or what I'm writing. Undertale may have stolen all of my time, and I am totally not writing a fic for it. Anyways as always Constructive Criticism makes my day. Read and Review.

Disclaimer- I don't make enough money to own this master piece of fiction.

Chapter 11

The Winter Soldier surged forwards, and caught the falling girl before she could hit her head. His breath caught in his throat at the amount of blood she was covered in as he gently laid her on the ground. He rolled her to her side, noting his ripped jacket, and the jagged scars down her back, raised and easy to see despite the blood. His hands flit over her sluggishly bleeding wounds, and Steve knelt down next to him, his blue eyes scanning her injuries.

"We need to put pressure on her wounds, Bucky," he said as Agent Coulson knelt down as well, Barton hovering over his shoulder. The winged man that had showed up hovered around the edges, shooting concerned glances between Steve and Soldier.

"I'm not Bucky!" Soldier snapped, Bucky's panic and worry setting him on edge.

"You're James Buchanan Barnes," Steve insisted, the confusion growing on his face. "Didn't you recognize me earlier?"

"Bucky," Soldier stressed the name with a growl, "Bucky recognized you. I don't know you."

Steve drew himself up, his lips a thin line. "And why is that?" Steve asked, his voice low and dangerous.

"Maybe because Bucky was HYDRA's lab rat for decades!" Soldier shouted. Steve flinched, and his entire face drained of color. Barton straightened and looked ready to throw himself at Soldier, while the winged man's eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth to reply.

"If you gentlemen are done," Coulson cut in, his voice smooth, "Then we should probably relocate to a secure location and meet up with Natasha."

"In that order?" Barton asked, though his eyes never left Soldier, "Cause if we do it in that order Nat's gonna kill us for making her look. And if Nat can find us, then she'll deem the place unsecure and we'd have to move. Again."

Bucky's gave a strained laugh, but at least it was there. Coulson's shirt sleeves were ripped and wrapped around Loyalty as some makeshift bandages. The jacket that he had removed was placed gently over her, and Steve went to pick her up.

Soldier almost snarled and him, and picked the girl up himself. Settling her carefully in his arms, he stood up and glared at them all. "Are we going?" he snapped.

Steve stood up slowly, studying Soldier with a look that set him on edge. Barton looked at Soldier, and slowly grinned, "You're secretly a hedgehog!"

Everyone blinked at the archer, except for Coulson, who sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Don't aggravate the assassin Clint," he said.

"Hedgehog?!"

 _Hedgehog?!_

Bucky and Soldier echoed each other, not that the others could tell. They stared at Clint some more, and Soldier wondered if the archer had gotten hit on the head without anyone noticing.

"Yeah!" Clint said, nodding sagely, "A hedgehog. All prickly and fierce on the outside, but a soft marshmallow on the inside."

"Marshmallow?!" Soldier said in a strangled voice. Bucky chuckled and then started to laugh hysterically. Their shoulders shook with his laughter, and Soldier counted himself lucky that the actual laughter didn't escape from his mouth. Coulson grabbed Clint by the arm, and dragged him away from the shaking assassin. Clint waved the hand that had the ugly teddy bear in it at him. Steve stepped between Soldier and the two fleeing men.

"Did we ever lose those guys?" the winged man asked from where he was standing. Soldier's grip on Loyalty tightened at the thought of the people that could make a young girl go pale and shake from memories alone. Steve's eyes narrowed, and he slowly shook his head. "So," the winged man said, "Don't you think that we should get going?"

Soldier nodded sharply, and walked past Steve towards the stairs. His swift steps caught up to Coulson and Barton easily. Barton grinned at him, though a sharp look was in his eyes, "Gonna kill me?"

Soldier gave a single shake of the head to the question, more concerned about the people he could sense around the building. He picked up his pace, and Coulson raised an eyebrow at him. Steve came up from behind him, and walked just a half step behind her right shoulder.

"What's going on, Buck?" he asked, keeping up with Soldier's pace.

Soldier growled at the name, and said, "HYDRA's been using SHEILD as a front."

"What?" Steve asked, his eyes widening.

"That's what Fury's been investigating," Coulson said from behind them, "He had found evidence that made him think that HYDRA wasn't gone. So they killed him for it."

"Nicholas Fury is dead?" Soldier asked.

"Yes," Coulson said, and Soldier could feel the handler's eyes drilling holes into the back of his head.

 _That's not good,_ Bucky thought.

Soldier grit his teeth his mind whirling. HYDRA rarely told him their plans, but he knew there had to have been a bigger reason than just Fury finding them out for the Winter Soldier to be sent after him, not when they had others closer to Fury that they could use.

"There's something that SHIELD's been doing," he said slowly, "Something that Fury might have suspended or cancelled or shown suspicion of, that's what HYDRA's going to use for their next big strike."

"Project Insight?" Steve asked, alarm growing on his face.

Soldier furrowed his brow, "Project Insight?"

"It's supposed to neutralize threats before they happen using a satellite system," Coulson said.

"So wait," Barton cut in, "It's like Skynet, but good?"

"That depends on the programming that's put into it," Coulson replied.

"So HYDRA could use it to take out all of the good guys rather than all of the bad?" the winged man asked.

Soldier grimaced, and nodded. He stopped in front of the door that led outside. His eyes narrowed, and he turned on his heels to study the rest of their group. Steve stared at him in confusion and the other three men studied him carefully.

"Hedgehog?" Barton asked, and Soldier glared at him. In the back of his mind, Bucky snickered.

"The bounty hunters are out front," he said shortly. He shifted Loyalty so that she hung off of his back, making it easier for him to move. He winced at what he was about to say and how Bucky would react to it, but he took a deep breath and said, "They're probably after us, so we'll lead them off."

This brought an instant reaction from Steve and Bucky, but Soldier ignored them, turning to Coulson, "Sitwell told me that answers could be found in New Jersey, and someone needs to find out how HYDRA is planning on manipulating Project Insight."  
"You can't leave," Steve protested. "If you go off on your own, then there's a higher chance they'll catch you."

Soldier grimaced, and the weight of Loyalty pressed down on his back, her breath tickling his ear. But at the same time, he could feel the phantom weight of all of the people that HYDRA would kill with Project insight, if no one could stop them. Soldier closed his eyes, felt Bucky at the back of their mind, and did something he never thought he would ever do.

He shoved Sergeant James Buchanan Barnes forward, and buried himself in their mind.

 _You have the better morals,_ he muttered at the confused Bucky, _You decide what to do._

Bucky blinked, shifted so that Loyalty was settled better on his back, and took a breath. Barton stared at him with undisguised curiosity.

"Steve," Bucky said quietly, shifting through what he knew of the situation and felt his heart sink, "The two of us are the most likely candidates of who their after, HYDRA probably hired them to get the Winter Soldier back. If we get caught or take off on our own, they'll leave you alone and someone will still be out there to stop HYDRA. But if we stay with you and we all get caught, who will stop HYDRA in time? It's a no-win situation for us, but it doesn't have to be for the rest of the world."

Bucky just hoped that Loyalty could forgive him for potentially getting them captured.

Steve looked like someone had kicked his puppy, but Agent Coulson nodded slowly, "It does make sense to throw them off of our trail. And it also covers the scenario of the bounty hunters being after us, you'll be free to stop HYDRA if they're after us."

Coulson looked him in the eyes and said, "Allow me to thank you for your service anyways Sargent."

Bucky flinched in surprise, and Steve's face became even more pained.

"What-?" Steve asked.

Bucky shook his head, and looked at Coulson and Barton, "You'll explain?"

"What we know," Coulson agreed, and Bucky took a deep breath.

 _Do you want to handle our daring escape, or shall I attempt it?_ Bucky asked the Winter Soldier, trying for humor.

Bucky could feel Soldier roll his eyes, and Soldier nudged him aside. Their body straightened, and Soldier nodded at them. He ducked away from Steve's reaching arm, and took off out the door at a dead sprint.


	13. Chapter 12

AN- Civil War guys. Just. Civil War

Disclaimer- I don't own Marvel

Chapter 12

The bounty hunters descended the minute he left the building. The woman from the zoo led them as they charged through the crowd headless of the screaming citizens. Soldier grimaced tried to pick up his speed.

He weaved through the crowd with an ease born of experience. It contrasted the bounty hunters shoving their way through after him. He felt a grim smile make its way onto his face. If nothing else, Steve could proceed unhindered.

Soldier grit his teeth, torn between ducking into an alleyway so that the civilians were out of the way, or to find a crowed street so that he could lose the bounty hunters in the crowd. A high pitched scream caught their attention, and Soldier grimaced, but tried to push onwards.

 _Woahwaohwoahwoah,_ Bucky cried, _We're not going to just let them attack civilians._

 _We'd have a better chance to get away if we just left them,_ Soldier said darkly, annoyed, but already turning around before Bucky could try to shove his way forward. The woman from the zoo had her hands wrapped around the throat of a tall ginger teenaged girl. The girl, to her credit, struggled against the hold, and tried to kick the woman holding her, her shoes connecting with shin bone. The bounty hunter didn't flinch or loosen her hold, though she did growl at the teen.

The rest of the bounty hunters started to spread out into a circle around him. The woman gave a cruel smirk, and glanced at one of the men in the circle, who bounced on the balls of his feet.

"Agmundr!" the woman called, "Perhaps you'd like to test yourself against the one they call the Winter Soldier?"

Soldier growled in the back of his throat as the man grinned, bright and easy like he hadn't just been called out to a duel that could end in someone's death.

"Why would I fight you?" Soldier demanded, shifting his weight so that he could dodge easily even with Loyalty on his back.

"Because if you don't, this cute thing," the woman punctuated her sentence by shaking the teen in her grip, who let out a choked cry before attempting to bite the hand around her throat, "spirited as she is, will end up with a broken neck."

Soldier bared his teeth in a snarl, and the woman stared at him. She cocked her head to the side, before saying, "I'm willing to promise that none of us will touch the freak on your back when you put her down to fight as well."

Soldier growled at the insult towards Loyalty, and felt his anger echoed and multiplied by Bucky. He carefully placed Loyalty on the ground away from the center, but nowhere near the bounty hunters. The cobra slid off of Loyalty's waist and circled around the girl as much as she could. She hissed at the bounty hunters and Soldier could have sworn that she nodded at him as he stood and turned to face his opponent.

Agmundr stood almost a head taller than Soldier, and he was all lean muscle as he pulled a pair of circular weapons. He held the chakrams carefully in his hands, and Soldier tensed, readying himself to dodge when the bounty hunter started the duel.

The woman dropped the girl, who fell, scrambled to her feet, and, in a move that made Soldier swear at her idiocy and Bucky laugh, swung her fist at the woman's face. Soldier swore, and ducked under Agmundr's arm, to try and stop the the girl before she could get herself killed. He didn't think that he'd make it in time, but a voice cut through the tense silence.

"Rina!" Lee froze, her fist inches from the bounty hunter's face. "Don't you dare follow that through Rina!"

A short haired blonde shoved her way into the circle, and grabbed Karina's arm and started to drag her away, ranting, "Look I know that we just graduated and you don't have to worry about getting expelled, but that doesn't mean you can finally follow through on your psychopathic urges!"

"But it wasn't my fault Rah!" the teen protest as the neared the edge of the circle. "They were the ones who tried to kill me!"

"Sure," Sarah muttered, "And I'm sure that trying to attack them is when you're clearly out matched is soooo smart. And here I thought you were intelligent."  
The blonde shoved her way through the circle again, taking the ginger with her. Their argument continued as the two girls walked out of earshot. Everyone stared after them for a moment, and finally one bounty hunter whistled, "I didn't think any Midgardians had enough courage to do something so brash."

Soldier blinked, and ducked instinctively. Agmundr's chakram flew over where his neck had been, and Soldier fell to a crouch, eyeing the bounty hunter warily. The man gave him a disturbingly cheerful grin.

"You're better than I thought a mayfly would be," the bounty hunter said, idly catching the chakram in his hand, "Then again the people who hired us did say you were their best."

Soldier reached for his gun, but. _What are you doing?!_ Bucky protested, _You could hit a civilian using that!_

Soldier growled in frustration at him, but pulled out his knife instead.

* * *

 _Come on, Ty,_ Cora hissed through their soulbond, _We're gonna need to be up and running really soon._

Loyalty groaned back mentally, fighting her way back to consciousness using Cora as her anchor. She fought down a wince as the skin in her back tugged at her wounds at the slightest movements. She could hear the sounds of metal clashing in metal, pained grunts of flesh being hit, and Loyalty fluttered her eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of the fight.

Scary-man was thrown back against the circle, and the bounty hunters threw him back into the fight, some jeering, others with cheers. He ducked under the bounty hunter's fist, and drove the knife in his hand towards the man's stomach. The bounty hunter grabbed his wrist and twisted it so the knife headed for Scary-man's arm instead. He wrenched it back, ducking under the chakram that flew at him from behind, and backing up slightly as the bounty hunter caught the round weapon in his hand.

 _I know it hurts Ty,_ Cora hissed softly, her slit eyes tracking the fight and watching the circled bounty hunters carefully. _But even if he wins this duel, the others will be after us and we have to strike now before they suspect something._

Loyalty nodded her head slightly, and reached out through their soul-bond as the African cobra laid her head on her bare neck, the transition from her own soul to Cora's smooth and comforting in its familiarity. The smooth, cold soul of the snake wrapped around her own lightly, and whispered, _hold on._

Loyalty didn't pull back as far as she normally would have, skimming the surface to pull the pain and fatigue her body drowned in away from Cora. She bit back a scream as Cora stood, feeling like every nerve on her back had been drenched in boiling oil. They lunged at the nearest bounty hunter as the farther ones exclaimed in surprise and the closer ones moved to subdue her.

* * *

"Not this time," Cora hissed, "I won't let you take her this time!"

They ducked under one arm grabbing for their neck, and lashed their leg out, snapping the bounty hunter's knee with a well-placed kick. One hand grabbed her hair, and Loyalty screamed at the sharp tug on her skalp. Cora grit her teeth, and with a harsh jerk that increased the pitch of Loyalty's scream, she pulled out of the bounty hunter's grip, leaving a clump of hair in their hand.

A female bounty hunter grabbed her arm, and Cora shifted her weight, leaned down, and threw them over her shoulder into the bounty hunter in front of her. Loyalty had gone quiet, only letting out sharp pants of pain every time that Cora moved.

Cora struggled for breath, already fighting against the fading hope. They had already lost once against this group, and would lose again. She snarled and bit down on the hand that came around to grip at her face. She swung around, already grimacing at the thought of turning her back to the bounty hunters in front of her, when the bounty hunter that had grabbed her, disappeared as The Friend-of-Loyalty rammed into him. The man drove the knife in his metal hand into the bounty hunter's chest, snapping several ribs and let the dead body drop, whirling around in a smooth movement to cover her back, and Cora gave a bloody grin, the bounty hunter's blood dripping down her face. The Friend-of-Loyalty had been fighting grinned and said, "Now that's more like it."  
The female in charge pulled out her iron knuckles, slipping them on as she said, "Remember, our clients want them both alive." A sadistic glee entered her eyes as she added, "But they didn't say anything about in one piece."

* * *

 _It's happened again,_ Bucky commented as Soldier ducked under an attack and shot the bounty hunter at point blank range, _I don't think that's Loyalty anymore._

 _I wonder how you know,_ Soldier thought dryly as the girl in question, who out right hissed at the bounty hunter trying to break her arm. Agmundr still focused his attention on Soldier, and Soldier dodged another chakram throw, twisting his body away from the weapon, and using the momentum to shove another opponent away from himself.

Soldier and the girl seemed to be faring pretty well watching each other's back, but he knew that they wouldn't last that much longer. He could hear her ragged breathing as her body struggled to keep up with the brutal pace she pushed it at as she slid under one attack, redirecting it to hit another target.

He glanced at Agmundr again, watching as the bounty hunter threw his chakram again, but this time at Loyalty.

"Kid!" Soldier barked out in warning. Loyalty whirled around, and ducked under the attack, but stumbled, losing her footing in the quick movements. Soldier felt his eyes widen in horror as she landed on her foot wrong and it broke with a sickening crack. He growled under his breath, and felt his eyes narrow as several of the bounty hunters broke out into laughter.

"Looks like the freak broke her leg again, just like last time!" one of them said, causing another round of laughter.

"You said you know how to keep her from fighting back the entire way, Audhild?" another spoke up, asking the female that was in charge, as Soldier dove towards the girl. Agmundr intercepted him, pushing him back with a grin. Audhild approached the fallen girl, who snarled at the bounty hunter. Audhild smile with all of her teeth, and with a smooth quick motion grabbed the back of the snake's head and ripped the snake away from Loyalty.

* * *

- _ainpainpainpainpainpainpainpainpain-_ a rush of painful heat at Cora's sudden absence, a gaping hole where she used to be - _helpsomeonehelp she'sgone she'snevergone! Integrity?! Empathy? Help! Diligence! DILIGENCE! SIST-_

* * *

Soldier froze as Loyalty let out a blood curdling scream that rose higher and higher into the air until her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she collapsed. He let out a wordless roar, Bucky yelling in worry and anger drowned out by the red the encroached on Soldier's vision. He lunged forward, shoving Agmundr out of the way, intent on ripping Audhild to pieces.

She rolled her eyes, tossing the now limp snake at another bounty hunter who caught it, and side stepped his lunge. Her hand lashed out and the iron knuckles clipped his temple as he tried to duck out of the way. While his head was realling, a bounty hunter grabbed his right arm and forced it behind his back, another two grabbed his left arm, twisting it viciously. Soldier snarled at them, struggling against the holds, snarling as one of the bounty hunters grabbed Loyalty and slung her unconscious body over their shoulder.

He tried to lunge forward again after them, but the bounty hunter holding his right arm twisted it even more,until it threatened to break. He grit his teeth against the pain, glaring at everyone around him. Audhild watched as the bounty hunter left with Loyalty and turned to hims saying, "Fight back, and we'll kill her regardless of what our clients want. Or maybe we won't kill her. We've already showed that we can do so much worse than kill her."  
Soldier gave one last tug against their hold, glaring at her as if the look alone could kill the cruel woman. She grinned at him as he stopped struggling, taking the limp snake from the other bounty hunter's hands, and wrapped Cora around her neck like some sort of sick trophy. She gestured and Soldier was dragged after Loyalty and back to the organization he had been avoiding since he met her. He glanced at the sky briefly, watching as the bird that followed Loyalty around fly away, and for a brief moment let himself hope, before he squashed it, and turned his thoughts to planning instead, Bucky worryingly silent in the back of their head.

* * *

Steve stared at the teddy bear that Clint had handed him before taking off with Coulson to find the help from the true members of SHIELD. Natasha rolled her eyes, and took it from his hands and tore one of the paws open, pulling a familiar flash drive from the stuffing. Steve blinked in surprise, and then in confusion when Natasha hands the teddy bear back to him.

"What do you want me to do with this?" he asked.

Natasha gave him an amused look, "Clint looks the ugly thing, he'd spend the next six months pranking both of us if he didn't get it back."

Steve's mouth quirked into a small smile, for just a moment forgetting about his worry about Bucky. It gnawed at his stomach, pain at what his best friend had gone through, something so bad that his mind had splintered into two different parts to deal with it.

Natasha fingered the flash drive, and said, "We should look this over before we go to New Jersey."

Steve nodded, looking up on instinct, and felt his brow furrow when he thought he saw a familiar bird. It swooped down and landed on his shoulders. His mouth formed an 'O' as he realized that it was one of Loyalty's pets. The bird made a wounded sound, and tugged at his shirt collar towards the direction that Bucky and Loyalty had run off to.

"Something's happened to them," Steve said, straightening his stance.

Natasha looked him sympathetically, and said almost gently, "From what Clint told me, that it was what they were expecting, to go after them now without stopping HYDRA would be an insult to that sacrifice. We'll go after them as soon as we've dealt with the immediate problem."

The bird gave another wounded chirp, tugging at Steve's collar again. Steve looked the direction the bird wanted him to go, and then back at the grim faced Natasha.

"There's probably nothing we can do for them now anyways," Natasha said softly, "We're going after HYDRA, so we'll be bound to run into them eventually. HYDRA won't kill their greatest asset, and he'd kill them before they even touch the girl."

Steve closed his eyes, and whispered an apology to the bird, who wilted and took to the air. But then the bird landed on his head, startling the captain, and gave a chirp.

Natasha raised an amused eyebrow at the sight, and then with a smile twitching at the end of her mouth, began to detail her plan and the amount of time they had before HYDRA tracked them down if she used the flash drive.


	14. Chapter 13

A/N- *Sheepishly takes a break from Undertale to remember I have a story already posted*

Me: But muse kitty! We have like eight other stories to work on!

Muse Kitty: Hiss

Me: NO! I'd never be ashamed of any of your idea. I know you work hard on all of them, even the ones that aren't popular.

Muse Kitty: Purr

Me: That's right you demonic furrball, I love you too.

Disclaimer- I don't own the Avengers, Marvel, or Captain America

Chapter 13

Soldier walked into the room with his back straight, and his eyes locked on the bounty hunter that had Loyalty slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Two other bounty hunters flanked him, Agmundr stood at his back, and Audhild led them in, stroking the still unconscious Cora on her head. Soldier stiffened as he caught sight of Peirce standing against the back wall.

The man that used to controlled his actions nodded at the bounty hunter, saying, "Thank you for your professional work. One of my personal will get you your payment on your way out."

Audhild smiled at him, showing just the hint of teeth, "Of course, sir." She cocked her head just slightly to the side and said, her voice smug, "But we wouldn't want anyone to accuse us of unprofessionality, so we'll just hang around for the next little while to make sure neither of them escapes." Her smile became sharper, "Well, that and it's so amusing to watch slaughters like the one you're planning."

Peirce shook his head at her, "We're not planning a slaughter. Just a liberation."

Audhild laughed, throwing her head back as one of the other bounty hunters placed Loyalty on the ground. She shrugged Cora off of her shoulders, and tossed the snake at the unconscious girl.

"Whatever the reason you're doing it, it's still a slaughter. Millions of people dead." Audhild said. She grinned, and backed away, taking most of the other bounty hunters with her, so that Peirce could approach Soldier.

Soldier growled at the man, and Peirce shook his head.

"I thought you had learned not to fight back decades ago Sergeant Barnes."

 _I never stopped fighting back,_ Bucky said softly, startling Soldier.

"I'm not Bucky," he growled.

Peirce studied him for a long tense moment, before asking, "I don't imagine that you'll do your job now?"

Soldier's lips thinned, and he grit his teeth. He knew what would happen next.

"Prep him," Peirce said, moving away from him, and turning towards where Loyalty laid on the ground. "And contact Zola. He probably has some idea of what experiments would tell us why the staff reacted the way it did when she showed up."

Soldier lunged forward, jerking to a stop when the bounty hunters grabbed him.

"Don't you dare. Don't go near her," he barked out, "Don't even think about touching her."

Peirce studied him, and very softly said to one of the HYDRA agents standing next to him, "Kill her."

Soldier roared, lunging against the arms that held him, breaking their hold and going straight for the agent that pulled their gun. He snapped the agent's arm, and stole the gun from the agent's now numb fingers. He cocked the gun, pointed it at Peirce, and said lowly, dangerously, "I said don't touch her."

Peirce stared at the two before he shook his head, "Is this how you repay the people who cared for you?"

Bucky gave a bitter laugh in the back of his head, and Soldier let his face settle into impassivity as he stared at Peirce. His aim didn't waver, but he kept half an eye on the bounty hunters leaning against the wall.

Peirce sighed, and turned away, "We'll have to start from the beginning again. Wipe everything."

Soldier stiffened but didn't move from his position over Loyalty. The HYDRA agents crept toward him. Audhild leaned against the wall, her eyes flickering from Soldier to Loyalty and back again. She smiled again, full of the dark promises that she had made on the way over. Soldier slowly lowered the gun, and let the HYDRA agents man handle him away from Loyalty. He snarled at the agent that bent down to pick the girl up, but didn't move towards them.

They sat him down on the machine, pushing him back, and he opened his mouth so they could put the mouthguard in. He leaned back, feeling the bindings wrap around his arms and tighten. He closed his eyes, preparing himself for the pain,

The whole room seemed to freeze when a groan echoed throughout it and Loyalty stirred. Her eyes fluttered open, and Audhild stepped forward to yank her to her feet by her arm. Loyalty whimpered in pain, and Soldier growled from the back of his throat.

"What?" Loyalty murmured, "What's going on?"

"Nothing much freak," Audhild said, pulling roughly on the girl's arm.

Loyalty shook her head, her eyes drifting in and out of focus around the room. Her eyes zeroed in on Soldier, and he fought down a wince as her eyes widened in confusion.

"What are you doing to him?!" she yelled, her voice rising in pitch, "Let him go!"

She pulled against the bounty hunter's hold on her, and Audhild responded by grabbing her hair and yanking. Loyalty cried out, her head falling back.

Audhild leaned forward and whispered into Loyalty's ear. She went white, and Soldier growled again, tugging against his bonds. The bounty hunter pulled Loyalty away, and she pulled the opposite way, back towards Soldier.

"Don't!" she cried, and Soldier had to close his eyes again. "Please! Just- Just-"

There was a hum, as the machine turned on, and he heard Loyalty sob. "Please, please don't. I'll tell you anything you want about me, I'll cooperate. Just don't do anything to him. Please."

There was a moment when Soldier dared to hope, but the silence was broken by Peirce's voice.

"Do it."

Loyalty screamed, and Soldier flinched. He dove into the recesses of his mind where and looked at Bucky. The American soldier was still dressed in the outfit he had been in when he fell from the train all those decades ago.

Soldier knew they only had a few precious seconds before their mind was brutally invaded, and he looked Bucky in the eyes. The shadows around them surged forward wrapping the other in a cool protective embrace.

"What are you doing?!" Bucky yelled pulling against the illusions.

"You'll have to remember for us," Soldier said quietly, as the mindscape fell apart around them as the machine bit into it. He was distantly aware of their body screaming, but he focus his remaining mental energy on the man in front of him. "You have to remember them. Loyalty and Steve. Remember them!"

"No!" Bucky yelled again as the shadows continued to cover him, working their way up to his face. "You don't have to do this alone! We can fight this togeth-" He was cut off as the shadows covered him completely. Soldier breathed in and then out, and felt the small world he had built for himself collapse around him.

Steve looked up from where he and Natasha stood in front of his old army base, wondering if the twin screams he heard were just his imagination. He shook his head, causing the bird on his head to chirp in surprise, and turned his attention back to reality.


End file.
